


Another Perspective

by arc852, HiddenDreamer67



Series: Perspective Series [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), The Borrowers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Borrowers Fusion, Borrowers - Freeform, G/T, GT, Giant/Tiny, Human, Human!Virgil, Humans, M/M, Multi, Other, References to The Borrowers, Sequel, TINY - Freeform, borrower, borrower!logan, borrower!patton, human!roman, reverse au, reverse different perspectives, tinies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-07-06 13:16:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 65,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15886806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arc852/pseuds/arc852, https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenDreamer67/pseuds/HiddenDreamer67
Summary: An alternate universe to different perspectives. Borrower!Logan gains another perspective on life as he is suddenly taken captive by a human!Roman, whose intentions are better than his actions. Later on borrower!Patton and human!Virgil will be gaining some perspective as they all struggle in getting borrowers and humans to see eye to eye.





	1. What are you?

 

Logan scoured the desktop, searching for a paperclip that wasn’t currently in use. He knew it was dangerous, being out in the open like this when the human bean was just in the other room getting ready. However, being patient was getting him nowhere. It had been weeks, and Logan still hadn’t found suitable wire to create new frames for his glasses. With a slight huff, he pushed his current lenses further up his nose. His current glasses, though practical, had ended up being a bit too large and were often sliding down. It was not only annoying; it was unsafe. Logan couldn’t afford to be constantly readjusting the wire while out borrowing. 

 

“Excellent.” Logan grinned, shifting the papers to find one sole straggling paperclip. He put it in his bag. Then, Logan began moving the papers back into position so as not to leave a trace of his presence. Though his human was messy, Logan could not afford leaving something out of place and making the human curious. Curiosity killed the borrower, after all. 

 

Once he was satisfied, Logan moved over towards the edge of the desk, inspecting it for a niche in the wood where he could latch his hook. However, he was too focused on the task at hand. A sudden series of thumps shook the table, throwing Logan off his balance and causing him to plummet off the edge. Logan scarcely had time to process what had occured before he felt himself land with an ‘oof’, tumbling down the fabric wall and into the bottom of the bag that had been laying nearby.

 

 

Roman rushed into his room from the bathroom, grabbing his bag near his desk and slinging it over his shoulder. He wanted to get this grocery shopping out of the way as quick as he could, not liking that particular chore. He zipped the top of the bag up and headed towards the front door. 

 

 

Logan tried not to panic when the light disappeared above, bracing himself as he was thrown amongst the general clutter found at the bottom of a bag. This was not ideal, but he hadn’t been seen. He would just have to stay under the radar until the human left the bag unattended, and then Logan could sneak out.

 

 

Roman shut the door behind him and then realized he needed his keys. He unzipped the bag and reached a hand inside, feeling around for them.

 

Logan ducked away from the giant fingers, watching them rummage around. He pressed himself up against the corner of the bag, trying to stay out of their path.

 

Roman frowned when he still couldn’t find his keys and continued to push and search around the bag. His hand came upon something...strange. Roman paused, eyebrow raised. He slowly went to wrap his hand around it.

 

Logan’s eyes widened, his heart rate picking up as those huge fingers wrapped around him. Logan froze, praying that the human would just disregard his form and continue searching the bag but knowing logically that this would not be the case.

 

Roman pulled his hand out of the bag and brought it up to his face to see what it was. His eyes widened in shock when he was met with a  _ tiny person _ . Roman gaped, looking at the little guy in awe. 

 

Forget his keys and the grocery shopping. This was way more important at the moment. He went back inside and headed back towards his room.

 

 

_ Oh no. _ Logan’s mind began to panic, hating the feeling of being whisked about without control. He had been  _ seen.  _ Where were they going? What was happening? Logan fought the urge to struggle against the human’s uncomfortable grip, fearing the drop to the ground. However, the feeling of so much unwanted physical contact from a  _ human bean  _ was making the hairs on the back of Logan’s neck stand up.

 

 

Roman set his bag down next the desk with his free hand and then sat down. He held the little guy over the desk, turning his hand and moving his fingers to get a better look.

 

“Wow...you are amazing.” Roman said in awe.

 

 

Logan tried to fix his eyes on a point in the distance as he was spun around to keep from getting dizzy. Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful and began to feel slightly lightheaded from the whole ordeal with the bag until this moment. Seeing the desk beneath him, Logan felt free to give in to his instincts and squirm. It was quite disheartening to watch his attempts to pry the fingers away yielded no results.

 

 

Roman couldn’t help but chuckle at...his? Its? attempt to escape. “Having some trouble there?” Roman asked, grinning.

 

 

Logan glared up at the human, hating how it seemed to enjoy his struggles. 

 

 

Roman raised his eyebrows in surprise when the tiny creature glared up at him. Realization dawned on him. “Wait, can you understand me?”

 

 

Logan’s eyebrows raised as he realized his mistake, now not sure how to proceed. On the one hand, if he acted as though he didn’t understand, perhaps the human would get bored of him more quickly and Logan could slip away unnoticed. On the other hand, if Logan demonstrated he was intelligent and understanding perhaps the human would be more hesitant to kill him. 

 

Perhaps he could find a middle ground by demonstrating an understanding without words. Hoping this was the correct option, Logan nodded to answer the human’s question.

 

 

“You can! That’s amazing.” Roman was in complete and utter awe with this tiny humanoid creature. Roman decided to open up his hand, letting the little guy fall into his palm and then used his free hand to grab his arm. Roman couldn’t help but run his thumb over it in fascination.

 

“Can you speak?” Roman asked.

 

 

Logan flinched, muscles tensing as he watched his arm almost disappear between human fingers. One twitch and… Logan shuddered, fearing the fate of his limb. In response to the question, Logan lied and shook his head, sticking to his plan of three seconds ago.

 

 

Roman frowned. “Well, that’s too bad.” It would have been cool if he could speak, but oh well. Roman returned his focus back to the tiny arm, moving it up and down. Roman hummed in thought, dropping the arm. “Are you...a fairy?” Roman asked. It was the only creature he knew of that was human like and tiny. He flipped the guy over and pulled up his shirt, but didn’t see any wings.

 

Logan scrambled away, pulling his shirt down and glaring once more. He shook his head vehemently, positively fuming. A  _ fairy.  _ Really? This had quickly taken a turn from frightening to downright embarrassing.

 

 

Roman took his hand away, chuckling at the way the little guy scrambled away. “I suppose not then.” Roman placed him on the desk, resting his head on his arms to be more eye level.

 

“Well, whatever you are, it’s very nice to meet you.” Roman grinned. “Do you have a name? Oh, wait, you can’t talk...um, well I can just give you one I suppose.” 

 

 

Logan cringed, hating the idea of being named. He looked around, planning out an escape route should the need arise but deciding that it was too risky to run while the human’s attention was focused solely on him. It might make an escape attempt later more difficult as the human would be more alert. 

 

Instead, Logan focused on the issue of his name. He looked around for a blank spot on the papers, holding up his hand in the signal for ‘one moment’. Finding a spot, Logan slowly walked over and crouched down. Logan paused, hesitant to give his name to a human, but ultimately he found the alternative to be worse than revealing his identity. After all, what was a human going to do with a borrower’s name? 

 

So, Logan took out one of his writing utensils, a scrap of lead, and wrote his name in huge block letters to ensure the human could read them: LOGAN.

 

 

Roman’s eyes widened as he watched the little guy write down on one of his pieces of paper. “Huh, I hadn’t expected a tiny creature like you would know how to write. That’s pretty impressive.” And it seemed like he had his own writing utensil as well...Roman wondered where he got it. “Logan. Interesting.” It was a very human name, something else Roman hadn’t been expecting.

 

“Well, Logan. I’m Roman.”

 

 

Logan gave a tert nod to show he had heard, standing up and cleaning his hands on his pants after putting the remaining lead back in his bag. He didn’t enjoy the human’s demeaning attitude, but at least he was still standing on his own two feet. 

 

Roman grinned, before he frowned, a thought coming to his mind. “Logan? Do you belong to anyone?” He didn’t want to keep him if he already belonged to someone else after all.

 

Logan let his face show how offended he was, sternly shaking his head and crossing his arms. He didn’t  _ belong  _ to anyone, especially another human as Roman seemed to imply. The thought made Logan uneasy about Roman’s intentions.

 

 

“Perfect!” Roman exclaimed, scooping Logan back up into his cupped hands. “Then welcome to your new home!” Roman was suddenly excited. The day had started out boring and not very good, Virgil had called him letting him know he couldn’t hang out today, but now it was turned around. He stared at Logan with a grin.

 

“Man, I still can’t believe you're actually  _ real _ .” 

 

 

Logan tried to push himself away from Roman, jumping as he accidentally pushed himself straight back into Roman’s curled fingers.  _ Oh, NO.  _ This couldn’t be happening. Logan violently shook his head, showing his incredible displeasure at the way things were going. 

 

It didn’t matter if, technically, he already  _ did  _ live here. Logan had no intentions of living here with a human. In fact, now he had no intentions of living here at all. He was already planning the fastest way to move out all of his belongings the second he could get to his home in the walls.

 

Roman frowned, before smiling softly. “It’s okay, I’m going to take good care of you. You’ll be properly fed, which by the looks of things, you really need. Oh! I can even get you some new clothes. It looks like you’re in need of new ones.” Roman ruffled Logan’s hair with a finger. “And not to mention all the  _ fun _ we’re going to have!”

 

 

Logan ducked, feeling his head jostled about in an unpleasant manner as Roman messed with his hair. Logan reached a hand up to try and fix it. He shook his head more to indicate that he wanted  _ none _ of that, but with growing dread it began to dawn on Logan that Roman wasn’t listening.

 

 

Roman wondered what to do now. He hadn’t expected any of this to happen, but he did still need to go to the store...oh, wait. Of course! He couldn’t keep this amazing find to himself after all. “I  _ have _ to show you to Virgil! He is going to freak out.” Roman was already heading toward the front door. 

 

 

Logan’s eyes widened, knowing that one human was bad enough. The borrower rules were ingrained in his brain, making him well aware how important it was that the borrower race remain a secret. Unfortunately, no amount of head shaking seemed to deter Roman. Realizing he had no other choice, Logan knew what he had to do.

 

“No!” He cried out, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth.

 


	2. Who needs a hook, anyways?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman orders pizza. Logan tries to escape.

 Roman froze halfway towards the door and stared down at Logan in shock. “Did…Did you just talk? But you said you couldn’t!” Realization dawned on him. “Wait, you lied? Why?”

 Logan winced, looking up and praying Roman wouldn’t be mad that he had lied; but, still not wanting to speak further. The borrower rules were also very explicit about not talking to humans, and Logan understood why. It was hard to monitor how much information you gave away when talking, and borrowers had to keep as secretive as possible.

 Roman raised an eyebrow, moving into the kitchen and leaning against the counter. Roman waited for Logan to answer him but when he didn’t Roman frowned. “Alright, then why don’t you want to meet Virgil? I mean, he’s a bit on the dark and edgy side, but he isn’t going to hurt you. At the very least I’d make sure of that.”

 Logan found this question even harder to answer, for he couldn’t answer truthfully without raising more questions. Logan decided to go with the answer Roman provided, putting on his best frightened face (not that difficult, given the circumstances) and shaking his head to emphasize his ‘fear’ at meeting another human. Of course fear was a large factor, but it was not the main reason Logan was so hesitant to meet this  _Virgil_.

 Roman could tell Logan was clearly fearful of meeting Virgil. That was very clear by the look on his face, but still, Roman wanted Logan to talk more. So, despite feeling a bit bad about it, he decided to try something. “Look, I know you’re scared. But everything will be fine. Now, if you don’t actually  _tell_  me why you don’t want to see him, we’re going.”

 Logan groaned, realizing he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. “I can’t.” Logan eventually spoke up, rubbing his arm nervously and pulling his legs closer to himself.

 Roman’s eyes went soft. “Why not?” He spoke quietly, hoping that might help Logan to answer.

 Logan hated the pitiful gaze Roman was giving him, almost preferring the dangerously curious look instead. And now it was an even more forbidden question.  _Why couldn’t Logan explain why another human can’t see him? Oh, because these secret ancient borrower rules say it’s forbidden_. Then cue the onslaught of borrower rule questions and Logan might as well just have spewed off the home locations of all his friends and family.

 “I can’t tell you that either.” Logan’s gaze fixed firmly on his toes. Was the human going to get mad? Was this how he died?

 Roman hummed, frowning. Well, that didn’t give him a lot, but it was clear Logan really didn’t want to see Virgil. “Maybe another time then.” Roman said before grinning once more. “But you being able to talk makes this a whole lot easier at least. And much more interesting.”

 “Mmm.” Logan gave a noise of disagreement. Logan realized his original assumptions had been correct, and his speaking would only heighten the human’s interest in him. Not to mention, now that Roman knew he could talk, would he try to force answers out of him? The prospect seemed likely.

 “Would you like something to eat?” Roman asked, setting Logan down on the counter. He went to go look in the fridge, frowning when he realized there wasn’t a whole lot in there, due to the fact he had yet to go grocery shopping.

 “There has to be something in here.” Roman murmured.

 Logan looked around, realizing the opportunity he had been presented. He had been set down alone on the counter, and Roman’s attention was diverted elsewhere. Thinking quickly, Logan remembered that the closest exit into the walls was beneath the cupboards. Logan quietly but swiftly made his way over to the edge of the counter, sticking his hook along the ridge and all but throwing himself off, slowing his fall slightly by gripping the string as he grappled down.

 “Okay, so how does-” He cut himself off when he saw Logan, using some sort of string that came out of  _nowhere_ , to climb down the counter. “Logan!” He rushed forward, wrapping his hand around him. He pulled him away from the string, before grabbing that as well, looking it over. “Is this…string attached to a fish hook?” Where had Logan even gotten these things? He stared down at the little guy.

 “What were you doing?” Roman asked, eyebrow raised.

 Logan paused to catch his breath after his sudden stop, reminding himself to try and keep his cool despite his escape attempt being foiled.  _So close_.

 “I was grappling down to the ground.” Logan explained, considering he was caught red-handed. He made sure to leave his escape route a mystery, for there still might be a chance to use it later.

 “Okay…why?” Roman asked when Logan didn’t elaborate.

 “I prefer being on solid ground rather than on a surface.” Logan said, despite it being a blatant lie. Logan was especially wary of being on the ground with humans around, but if he had succeeded that wouldn’t have been an issue for very long.

 “Well, I’m sorry to say, but you’re going to have to get used to it.” Roman set Logan back down on the counter and looked over the hook and string again. “You won’t be needing this anymore.” Roman said, wrapping the string around the hook and dropping it into the trash.

 “Now, going back to food, I think it might just be best to order something. How do you feel about pizza?” Roman asked, already getting his phone out.

 Logan could not care less about pizza. Instead, his attention was solely focused on the trash can where his precious hook had disappeared. He had expected Roman to possibly confiscate it, with the knowledge that Logan could then either ‘earn’ it back or somehow sneak it away from the human’s possession. But getting it out of the trash without said hook? Downright impossible.

 “I do need that hook.” Logan pointed to the bin, trying not to let his anger show.

 “No you don’t. I can just carry you everywhere. Besides, I can’t just be having you run off whenever you feel like it. I might never see you again.” Roman joked, but also realized that to be true. Which was something Roman didn’t want to happen.

 “Now quiet, I’m going to order the pizza.” Roman called the pizza place, holding it up to his ear and turned around. “Yes, hi, I would like one large pepperoni pizza-”

 Logan glared at the human’s back, realizing it was more crucial than ever for him to make his escape  _now_. Without his hook it would be hard to climb off many surfaces, but for once luck was on his side. The kitchen counter was made of wood, which provided many footholds and ledges to a borrower. Usually Logan wouldn’t attempt something so foolish, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

 Logan pulled himself over the counter edge and began carefully climbing down the rough surface.

 “-In a half hour? Great! I’ll see you then.” Roman hung up the phone, glad he now had lunch and probably dinner taken care of. “Alright, so the pizza will be here soon.” Roman said as he pocketed his phone, turning around and eyes going wide when he saw Logan climbing down the counter once again. Except this time, he was doing it freestyle.

 “Logan!” Roman reached down and once again grabbed Logan off the side of the counter. “What were you thinking? What if you had fallen? You could have been hurt, or worse!” Roman said as he brought Logan up to his face, a concern glare focused on him.

 “What was I thinking?” Logan couldn’t help but glare back, the frustration getting to him. “I’ve already explained my preference for being on the ground, my motives should be perfectly clear.”

 “And I’ve already told you that you are just going to have to get used to it. Do you know what could happen if you were on the ground and I didn’t see you? Nothing good.” Roman said, placing his free hand on his hip.

 _Actually, a lot of good in this case_. Logan thought to himself.  _Perhaps I would have a chance of getting home without being rudely interrupted_. Unfortunately, Logan knew this would not be the best answer to say out loud.

 “I’m careful, I would stick to the edges of the room.” Logan replied.

 “Mhm, it’s still a no.” Roman said before heading into the living room and falling back onto the couch. He shifted his hold on Logan, so he now sat in his cupped hands. “Well, we have thirty minutes to kill, how about you answer some of the questions I have.” Roman said, using a finger to poke Logan in the side.

 “I have a better suggestion.” Logan leaned away from the touch. “You go retrieve my hook from the trash and return it to me.”

 Roman raised an eyebrow. “And why would I do that?”

 “Because it’s mine.” Logan felt his anger bubbling just below the surface. “And it’s completely impractical to throw it away. There would at least be some merit if you had merely taken it, but to throw it out is just wasteful and idiotic.”

 Roman blinked. “But you  _don’t_  need it. I’m just going to carry you everywhere.” Roman paused. “Did you just call me an idiot?”

 “I called your actions idiotic.” Logan corrected, although he had to bite his tongue to keep from agreeing with Roman’s assumption as well. “Besides, you’re planning for the future with only assumptions in mind. You cannot possibly know every event that is yet to come, and having the opportunity for me to be mobile on my own- even if you possess those means!- might prove useful to both of us.”

 Frankly, Logan hated talking as though there was actually a future between them. But he needed to get that hook back, even if it meant looking like an idiot himself.

 Roman couldn’t help but chuckle. “You sound like nerd.” Roman said while using a finger to poke Logan in the stomach. “But…I guess I do see your point.” Roman gave in. He stood up and headed back into the kitchen. He moved Logan to one hand, using the other to fish the hook out of the trash.

 Once he had the hook he opened a drawer and placed it inside before going back to the living room and once again sitting on the couch. “There, now we have it just it case.”

 “Thank you.” Logan nodded, still tense. Now he would just need to work on getting his hook from that drawer. While still not ideal, it was still more probable than getting it from the trash. There was always a danger of the hook leaving the apartment forever when it was in the trash, as well as being buried by all sorts of nasty stuff that even a borrower would find useless.

 “Yes, of course,  _now_  onto those questions.” Roman said, and excited smile gracing his lips. “Let’s start with maybe the most interesting question. What are you?” Obviously he wasn’t a fairy. Maybe he was an entirely  _new_  creature no one had ever heard of before. And Roman would be the first.

 Logan shook his head. “I’m not answering your questions.”

 Roman pouted. “Why not?”

 “Because I shouldn’t be talking to you at all.” Logan crossed his arms, wishing he could stand and look more composed but knowing that it would be unwise on the uneven, curved surface that was human hands.

 “Says who?” Roman asked. “Are there…more of you little guys running around?”

 “Says I.” Logan retorted, knowing better than to teach Roman about the existence of others. “Humans are dangerous, which is why I avoid interaction with them at all costs.”

 “Dangerous?” Roman hummed in thought. “Well, I suppose I can see that, if you happen to fall into the hands of the wrong human. But you don’t have to worry about me, you’re perfectly safe here.” Roman reassured him, petting the top of Logan’s head.

 Logan growled, ducking down away from the touch. Logan was pretty certain he was currently sitting in the hands of ‘the wrong human’.

 Roman was about try and ask another question, when he heard a knock on the door. He glanced at the clock, the pizza was a bit earlier than he had expected. “Fine, I won’t force you to answer any questions.” Roman paused. “Yet.”

 With that, he stood up and placed Logan in his chest pocket before going to answer the door.


	3. Do not YEET the borrower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan tries to escape while Roman decides to have a little fun.

Logan let out a noise of surprise, feeling himself suddenly squished between layers of fabric. Logan glared up at the light trickling in from the opening above. He was in an uncomfortable position, but tried his best to stay still as he inferred what was happening outside the pocket.

Roman’s words made Logan nervous. Logan knew himself well enough to know that he was stubborn. But perhaps Logan would meet his match. How far was Roman willing to go to get answers? How far was Logan willing to go to keep secrets?

Roman paid and thanked the delivery man before shutting the door and heading into the kitchen. He set the box of pizza down on the counter, before reaching into his pocket and doing the same with Logan.

He opened up the box, mouth watering at the smell. Man, he loved pizza. He grabbed a plate and placed a slice on it, setting it down near Logan. “There you are.” He said, before taking his own slice and starting to eat it, not bothering with a plate.

Logan looked down at the giant slice set before him. Despite the fact that he hadn’t eaten since early in the morning, Logan found he was not hungry. The events of the last hour had ruined his appetite.

Looking up to see Roman preoccupied with his own food, Logan weighed the pros and cons of another escape attempt. Remembering Roman’s threat to force him to talk made Logan’s decision very easy.

Keeping one eye on the human, Logan began carefully making his way over to the edge, trying to look inconspicuous.

Roman glanced at Logan, raising an eyebrow when he saw how close he was to the edge. Roman hummed into his slice of pizza. “Do you want some water? I’m gonna get us some water.” He went over to the fridge, opening it and sticking his head inside.

Seizing his chance, Logan began climbing down the counter once more, going faster. His hands nearly slipped a few times in his haste, and Logan had to actively remind himself that it would do no good to reach the floor dead.

Roman waited but a moment before he slammed the fridge door and looked back toward Logan. “I knew it!” He quickly made his way back and for the  _third_ time grabbed Logan. “What the heck, dude?!” Roman asked, glaring. Really though, he was only concerned…and, okay, maybe just a  _tad_  frustrated because Logan wasn’t listening to him.

Logan’s eyes widened, now concerned that he had gone too far. An angry human was exponentially more dangerous. He gulped, leaning away from Roman.

“U-um…” Logan trailed off, mind drawing a blank when he tried to think of what would be the right thing to say.

Roman sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Look, I’m sorry to do this, but I can’t keep having you try and get to the floor.” Roman opened the top cupboard and grabbed one of his glasses, setting it down on the counter. He then placed Logan in the glass, pleased to see that the glass was almost twice his size. There would be no way for Logan to get out of it.

“I’ll cut you a piece of pizza to eat, alright?” Roman said, before busying himself with trying to cut a piece off the slice that would work best for Logan to hold and eat.

Logan pushed against the glass, trying to get it to tip over. This was much worse. If Roman was going to trap him like this, he would never be able to get back. Logan examined his surroundings, trying to find a solution. He pushed his back against one side and began climbing with his feet along the other, testing to see if he could get high enough to reach the lip of the cup.

Roman sighed when he glanced in Logan’s direction to see him trying to get out. He reached a hand over and poked him so he fell back to the bottom. “Stop that.” He finished cutting the pizza and reached into the glass, holding it out for Logan to take.

Logan groaned, rubbing his backside. He looked up at the offering of food, glaring at it. He then turned to glare at Roman’s face, his image distorted slightly by the glass and making him look even stupider than before.

“I don’t want your food.” Logan said, standing up and crossing his arms.

“Logan, you should eat.” Roman said. He was getting tired of holding the piece of food, so he set it down next to Logan at the bottom of the glass. “I mean, if you aren’t hungry that’s fine, I can save your slice for later.” Roman grabbed himself a second slice, taking a bite out of it.

“I said I don’t want it.” Logan kicked the slice to the side of the glass, tempted to try and throw it out but fearing it landing on his head instead.

Roman rolled his eyes before finishing off his second slice. He placed the rest of Logan’s slice in the box before closing it and putting it in the fridge. He turned back to Logan, picking up the glass. He reached in, taking the piece out first and throwing it away, before holding out his hand flat and tilting the glass.

“Hey!” Logan cried out as his world tilted, tumbling down. He put his hands out to either side, pressing into the walls to keep from falling further as he dangled above Roman’s awaiting palm.

Okay, Roman couldn’t help but chuckle as Logan held on. It was pretty funny to see. “Come on Logan, let go!” Roman said in amusement. He shook the cup harder.

The shaking caused Logan’s grip to slip, making him tumble the rest of the way down in an undignified manner.

Roman grinned when Logan fell into his hand. “I have to admit, I admire your stubbornness…er, some of the time anyway.” Roman chuckled. He set the glass back down on the counter before heading back to his room.

Logan frowned. The idea of his stubbornness being admirable and yet still yielding no results was frustrating.

Roman took a seat at his desk, placing Logan onto it. Roman leaned forward on his hands, simply watching Logan with a small smile.

Logan dusted himself off, standing up. He looked over to see Roman just smiling at him, and his own frown deepened.

“What?” Logan said irritably.

“Just still processing the fact that you actually exist.” Roman said simply. “Did you know that you’re cute when you’re mad.” Roman pointed out, finding Logan’s frown oddly adorable on such a small face.

“That’s ridiculous.” Logan rolled his eyes. ‘Cute’ was not a word he would ever use to describe himself.

“Well, it’s true.” Roman chuckled. He watched Logan for a moment longer before reaching towards him with both hands. He proceeded to start poking and prodding Logan in the stomach and side.

Logan backed up, trying to avoid the strong touches. Occasionally one would hurt, or nearly throw him off balance. “Stop it!” Logan said angrily, hating that he knew Roman was merely toying with him and yet he was still powerless to stop it himself.

“Make me.” Roman chuckled before poking him just hard enough in the stomach that he fell back.

Logan let out a groan as he fell backwards, hitting the wooden surface. He hated Roman’s cocky attitude, and he hated more that Roman was right. Logan couldn’t make Roman do anything.

Well actually… a horrible thought occured to Logan, and he brushed it to the side quickly. He could think of one way to get Roman to stop poking him, but giving away borrower secrets just to stop a few uncomfortable touches was in no way a logical trade.

So, Logan just sat there, trying not to glare up at Roman now that Logan knew his own anger was working against him in terms of being left alone.

When Logan didn’t get up right away, Roman took this opportunity to pinch his leg between two fingers and hoist him into the air. Roman brought him up to his face, grinning at him. “How’s it hanging?” Roman joked.

Logan let out a yelp as his leg was painfully tugged on, suddenly finding himself dangling upside down. He used one hand to keep his glasses on his head and the other hand to keep his belt and bag in place, feeling those articles slipping from the change in gravity.

“Roman!” Logan cried out both in anger and in fear. “P-put me down!”

“If you insist.” Roman said, before letting go.

Logan screamed, suddenly finding himself falling through the air.

“And, gotcha.” Roman announced as he shot out his hand and caught Logan as he fell. He brought Logan back up to chest level. He took a look at Logan’s face, smirking. “What? Did you actually think I was going to let you fall? I already told you, you’re perfectly safe with me.”

“You  _did_  let me fall!” Logan yelled, breathing heavily. His heart still pounded from the adrenaline rush.

“But I caught you.” Roman said. “Like so.” Roman threw Logan into the air, catching him as he fell.

Logan clenched his teeth angrily, developing an iron grip on his bag’s strap as he clutched it fiercely. “Stop it!” Logan’s mind raced to come up with excuses to make Roman stop. “You’re basing your actions off assumptions again, when statistically there is a large chance of you  _not_  catching me every time you repeat such a  _stupid_  maneuver!”

“Such big words for someone so small.” Roman said. “And hush, you are  _perfectly_  fine. There is no need to worry your little head.” Roman then proceeded to fling him up into the air again and catching him once more to prove his point.

Logan’s head was beginning to pound with a massive headache from all this movement. Logan was now very grateful that he did not eat anything when it was offered to him before.

“You have to look past the quote unquote, ‘danger’ and see how fun this is! I for one would be having a blast if I was in your position.” Roman looked from Logan and then found himself glancing over to the bed. He grinned.

“Hey, Logan. Do you know what ‘yeet’ means?” He asked.

Logan paused, not liking the look on Roman’s face. “No…?”

“Well, you see, it means-” Roman turned to face the bed and threw Logan at it. “ _YEET_!”


	4. To See or not to See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan's glasses break and now Roman tries to get Logan a new pair.

 Logan let out a loud scream, finding himself now flung in a horizontal direction as opposed to straight up. Thankfully, Logan crashed into the softer surface of the bed. He tumbled a few inches further before rolling to a stop. Logan groaned, his lungs hurting as he forced them to fill with air. That trip would certainly leave bruises, if nothing else. He slowly sat up, rubbing at his temples to quiet his headache as he looked around at the blurry world.

 Wait…blurry?

 Logan’s fingers traced his ears, not finding the familiar wire frames. Logan cursed to himself, getting on his hands and knees to feel around for his glasses. They were by far his most important and least attainable possession. If he lost his only pair, he would be, for lack of a better term, screwed.

 Roman watched as Logan landed safely onto the bed. He waited a moment before running and jumping onto the bed himself, making sure he was aware of where Logan was so as to not accidentally smoosh him.

 “Don’t-!” Logan yelled out as he felt (and semi-saw) Roman approach, but it was too late. Roman’s landing sent Logan flying in the air once more, tumbling back onto the bed and rolling towards Roman due to the sloped surface created by the human’s weight. As soon as he hit against Roman’s leg he tried to crawl back, desperate to search around. Unfortunately he had a good guess of the fate of his glasses, considering Roman’s sporadic landing.

 Roman laughed before turning onto his side. His eyes fell on Logan immediately and he grinned as he reached out a hand, curling it around his back and pushing him towards him. Roman’s grin slipped off his face, however, when he noticed something missing from Logan’s face. “Hey, where are your glasses?” Roman asked, thumb subconsciously moving to gently rub just underneath Logan’s eye.

 Logan jolted back, startled at the sudden pressure on his face. It was hard for him to get good depth perception without his lenses, so the touch came as a great unwanted surprise.

 “They fell off when someone threw me through the air!” Logan tried to glare up at Roman, squinting to focus on the human’s face.

 “Whoops.” Okay, Roman felt a bit guilty about that now. “I’m sure they’re fine.” Roman said, but wasn’t too confident about that fact. He got up and out of bed, looking the bed over to try and find the minuscule makeshift glasses. He ran his hand over the bed, trying to see if maybe he could feel them.

 “So, how blind are you without them?” He asked as he searched.

 Blind enough that he was staying still, that’s for sure. Logan didn’t dare move for fear of falling off Roman’s hand, not sure if he would land on the bed or the ground and not wanting to do either.

 “Everything’s a bit of a blur.” Logan admitted, wishing he could search too, hoping that giving some significance to his glasses would cause Roman to search harder. It would be difficult for a human to find them. “My depth perception is the biggest issue, as it used to cause me to get into perilous situations all the time.”

 Indeed, it was a miracle Logan had survived at all before his glasses. He couldn’t remember how many ledges he had nearly fallen off, or fallen off and caught himself on the edge by sheer dumb luck.

 “Well, that definitely isn’t good then.” Roman agreed and continued to search, sticking his tongue out as he focused. He passed over a certain spot, stopping when he barely felt something small and out of place on the bed. Leaning closer, he carefully pinched what it was between his thumb and forefinger. He looked at it, smiling when he saw that it was indeed Logan’s glasses.

 “Found them!” Roman exclaimed and then held it out for Logan to take. “There you are.”

 Logan reached out and took it from Roman, feeling it with his hands and bringing it closer to inspect. The wires were all bent out of shape, and it took a moment for Logan to bend it back in a way that barely resembled the original form. He pressed it onto his face, hoping it would do.

 He blinked, realizing that while the world was clearer, it was a bit…disorienting. Logan frowned, focusing further before realizing what was wrong.

 “They’re broken.” He said quietly to himself, feeling a wave of despair hit him. He tried to look on the bright side, at least they would still work; but ‘good enough’ was not good enough, not when he now knew what it was like to have a proper set of glasses. Logan thought back to how it was a mere coincidence that he happened upon the necessary glass for the first set, and he only had enough for one pair. Now he would be stuck with one cracked pair of lenses, most likely for the rest of his life due to the impulsivity of a human bean who couldn’t listen.

 “You broke them!” Logan shouted at Roman, in the heat of the moment forgetting how small he was in comparison.

 Roman’s eyes widened at Logan’s outburst. “I-I didn’t mean to!” Roman looked down in guilt. “I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen. I…I wasn’t even  _thinking_  about your glasses.” They were so  _small_ , Roman hadn’t paid them much mind. He ran his free hand through his hair, wondering if there was a way for him to make up for it.

 “You weren’t thinking about anything, you giant imbecile!” Logan looked at Roman with daggers in his eyes. Tiny, reflected, shattered daggers. “You were too focused on your own amusement that you didn’t listen!”

 “Hey!” Roman exclaimed at being insulted, but in reality he did deserve it. “Okay, fine, maybe you were right.” Roman didn’t think he was wrong in his fun, he just hadn’t thought it all through fully. Roman continued to think. He  _had_  to make this up to Logan. This was his fault after all. But where on earth could he get glasses…from…

 He snapped his fingers as an idea hit him. “That’s it! Not to fret Logan, you will be able to see in no time!” Roman started out of his room, but not before grabbing his bag and swinging it over his shoulder.

 Logan put his hands out to steady himself, not sure what Roman was going on about. Logan  _couldn’t_  get a new pair; the human pair he had taken the glass from were long gone now.

 “Where are you taking me now?” Logan asked with a groan.

 “We are going to see an optometrist!” Roman paused. “Or at the very least the front desk of one.” He once again placed Logan in his chest pocket and left his apartment, heading to his car after he locked the door. He checked his phone to see how late the place was open, frowning when he saw it closed in less than thirty minutes. They would have to hurry.

 Logan’s eyes widened. What was an optometrist? Logan could only guess it was some human occupation, but that did nothing to lessen his fears. He couldn’t let other humans see him, no matter how much Roman wanted to ‘help’. Logan tried to stay still for the very reason of hiding his existence, but when a sudden rumbling shook Logan to the core he couldn’t fight his instincts any longer, thrashing about in the pocket to try and get out or at the very least gain Roman’s attention.

 “Whoa, hey!” Roman exclaimed as he felt Logan freak out in his pocket. It was a good thing he hadn’t started moving the car yet. He reached inside, taking Logan out and looking him over. “What has gotten into you?”

 Logan looked around, realizing he was  _inside_  one of those cars that humans used to travel. The rumbling was coming from the vehicle itself. A second glance confirmed that they were alone.

 “Roman, you can’t let other humans see me. Even this… _optometrist_  person.” Logan looked up at Roman pleadingly, not wanting to beg but knowing he must if needed. “We can’t go see anyone.”

 Roman blinked. “ _That’s_  what you are worried about?” Roman laughed. “I wasn’t planning on  _showing_  you to anyone, I’m not stupid. I have a plan, so don’t worry so much.” Roman rolled his eyes. He paused for a moment before placing Logan on his shoulder. He then started to move the car, heading toward the optometrist’s place.

 “Roman!” Logan called out in shock, frantically clutching onto the collar of Roman’s shirt as the car began to move. He ducked down, hoping other humans couldn’t see him through the window. Under normal circumstances Logan would have been curious to inspect the inner workings of the car and all its systems, but unfortunately there was a more pressing issue at hand.

 Logan didn’t exactly have faith in Roman’s plan, given his behavior so far and the fact that despite Roman’s words, he  _was_  an idiot.

 Roman focused on driving, taking as many shortcuts as he could. He made it there in ten minutes and thankfully, he could still see the open sign on the window. He was about to get out of his car, before remembering Logan. He took Logan off of his shoulder and placed him back in his pocket before getting out of the car. He walked into the building, being greeted by the woman at the front desk. He waved to her, before pretending to browse the selection of lenses they had to offer.

 He glanced around to make sure no one was looking before popping open his pocket and looking down at Logan. “Okay, so can you explain to me how things look when you aren’t wearing your glasses?” Roman asked quietly.

 Logan found himself shaking, knowing from the ambiance all around him that other humans were possibly right outside the pocket. Where were they? What was Roman doing? He wanted answers, but it was more important to not be seen.

 “I told you, blurry.” Logan all but whispered, not wanting any other humans to hear.

 Roman rolled his eyes. “Okay, yes, but you have to be a little more specific.” Roman looked around the room for a moment, making sure it was still clear. “Is it only blurry up close? Far away?  _How_  blurry is it?”

 Logan hadn’t given it much thought ever since he got his glasses and it was no longer a daily problem.

 “It’s…” Logan squinted, trying to tell the difference between having the glasses on or off. “More blurry up close.”

 “Interesting…okay, can you give me a number out of 20 on how well you can see? 20, of course, being perfect vision.” Roman asked, still whispering. He noticed a woman come up and give him a weird look. He sent her a charming smile before walking to another section of the store.

 “What a horrible scale of reference.” Logan muttered, not understanding how numbers could correlate to vision. It would all be subjective. “13, I suppose.”

 “Great! I mean, not great your vision wise, that’s pretty bad, but that should be enough to get what we need.” Roman released his hold on the pocket before walking over towards the woman sat at the front desk. He smiled at her as he came up.

 “Hello, ma’am. I was wondering if you could help me with something. You see, I’ve lost my glasses and was wondering if I could get a new pair.” The woman nodded and typed a few things out on her computer.

 “It depends on what kind of prescription you have, but we may have some in the back. If not, we’ll have to order it.” She typed a few things out before looking up at Roman. “Can you give me your prescription?” Roman kept his smile on.

 “Ah, you see about that. I actually lost it and for the life of me I cannot remember the name of the prescription.” The woman hummed.

 “I’m not actually supposed to be giving you anything without a prescription…” The woman took another good look at Roman. “But, you seem like a trustworthy young man. Alright, can you go ahead and explain it for me please?” Roman smiled with relief, now he just had to hope they had it.

 “My vision is pretty blurry up close. I’d say I have 13/20 vision in both my eyes.” Roman explained, recounting to the woman what Logan had told him. The woman hummed, typing more on her computer before nodding.

 “Well, looks like you’re in luck. I think we might have exactly what you need in the back. Let me go get it for you.” The woman stood up and Roman watched as she headed into the back room. Roman grinned and once again held his pocket open to sneak a peek at Logan.

 “Ya hear that? I told you we would be getting you some new glasses!”

 “Yes, I heard.” Logan confirmed quietly, heart still racing at the exchange of human voices just over his head. It was hard to be excited about new glasses when he was not even sure the new pair would work yet. How did the human know the right kind of glasses based on Logan’s guess of a number?


	5. Que tiny glasses building montage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anything Logan can do, Roman thinks he can do better.

 “Here we are.” The woman spoke as she came back. Roman focused his attention on her, dropping his hold on the pocket. “How are they?” She asked as she handed it to him. Roman smiled at her, silently panicking. How was he going to let Logan try the glasses when the woman was right here. He needed to think on his feet.

 “I’m sorry to bother you some more, but while I try these on, could you check to see if you have any, er, cleaner? You know, for glasses?” Roman asked. The woman blinked, but smiled.

 “Not a problem, I’ll be right back.” She left through the back door again and Roman smiled to himself in triumph. He then moved towards the corner of the store and took Logan out of his pocket, holding him in front of the glasses.

 “How do these look? Can you see?” Roman asked, glancing back between Logan and the back door.

 Logan, stressed about being out in the open, looked around quickly. When he saw there was no one else, he decided it would be best to appease Roman to get this over with faster. So, Logan took off his broken glasses and stepped up, trying to see through the much larger pair of glasses.

 “…Yes.” Logan said, surprised. How did this happen? Logan had spent  _years_ without being able to properly see, and yet in less than an hour Roman was able to attain a pair of human glasses that were just as functional. Logan couldn’t decide if he was more impressed or annoyed.

 Roman grinned. “Perfect!” He glanced back towards the door just as it opened and he quickly shoved Logan back into his pocket and placed the glasses on his own face. He blinked, suddenly disoriented. Man, Logan was  _blind_.

 “I found the cleaner for you. How are the glasses.” She asked. Roman grinned.

 “Absolutely perfect. Thank you for the help.”

 “Not a problem. Now…” She typed some some things, placing the cleaner in a bag as she did so. “That will be…350 dollars.” Roman’s eyes widened. That…was a  _lot_  of money. Why were glasses so expensive?! Roman sighed and swiped his credit card. He hated it, but it was the least he could do for Logan.

 He bidded a farewell to the woman and went out and back into his car. He took the glasses off, blinking as his vision readjusted and set them down on the passenger seat for a moment. He then took Logan out and placed him next to the glasses. “Well, that cost me a bit more than I thought, but at least we got them!” Roman grinned before realization dawned on him as he looked between the glasses and Logan. His smile dropped.

 “Okay, I may have forgotten about the whole size thing.” What was he going to do about _that_?

 Logan looked at the glasses, realizing he should probably thank Roman but still feeling peeved that Roman was the reason he needed new ones in the first place.

 “It’s fine.” Logan waved off the human’s concerns, going over to inspect the glass further now that they were truly alone. “I can take care of that.”

 “What? No, of course you can’t.” Roman said. “But…I think I know what to do!” Roman said as the idea dawned on him. He buckled his seatbelt and started the car towards his college.

 Logan found himself thrown to the ground- or rather, the seat- as it began to vibrate beneath him with a loud rumbling sound. Logan craned his neck to look up at Roman, irritated at the lack of a warning and the fact the human seemed to think he was incapable.

 “Yes, I can!” Logan insisted over the roar of the car. “I made my first pair of glasses, obviously. I can just repeat the process with this pair.”

 Roman waved him off as he pulled to a stop in the college parking lot. “That was just luck, I’m sure. Besides, no offense or anything, but they weren’t the best to begin with. I happen to know of a way to make a pair your size that will be clean and won’t fall off your head so easily.” Roman said matter of fact. He reached over and grabbed the glasses in one hand and Logan in the other.

 “Any pair of glasses would be thrown off if I was thrown through the air by a shortsighted-!” Logan paused in his insult, the fingers wrapped uncomfortably around him serving as a reminder of why he should  _avoid_  angering Roman. He took a deep breath. “It wasn’t luck. I’m more than capable, seeing as I’ve built all my own tools in the past. In contrast, your huge hands are incapable at working at the level of precision necessary for such a delicate task.”

 “Sure you are.” Roman said, mostly ignoring what Logan was saying as he typed something out a text to someone. He grinned when he got the confirmation he needed and pocketed his phone.

 “Alright, now let’s go and make you some new glasses!” Roman exclaimed and placed Logan in his pocket once again before getting out of his car and walking towards the building.

 “Roman-!” Logan was tempted to hit Roman’s chest in anger at the hopes of doing something, but he didn’t want to bring attention to himself now that they were out in public again. Logan was beginning to fester a very strong resentment for this pocket.

 Roman walked through the building, which was mostly empty at this time of the evening. He looked around before coming across the classroom he was looking for. He grinned and turned the knob, smiling even wider when the door opened. Thankfully, he had just caught the professor as he was leaving and he was able to leave the door unlocked for him. He just had to remember to tell the janitor to lock it once he was done.

 He went into the room, looking around at all the equipment. He went to an empty desk and set the glasses down to the side. He reached into his pocket and set Logan down on the desk as he walked over and gathered some safety wear.

 Logan looked around, making sure they were alone. Though he had expressed to Roman the importance of not being seen by others, Logan found himself unsure if Roman would respect that. There were certainly plenty of things that Roman didn’t respect. Like this whole glasses business, for instance.

 “What are you doing?” Logan asked as the human walked away, leaving him stranded alone on an unknown surface. Not for the first time, Logan found himself missing his hook. He walked over to inspect some of the strange equipment lying on the desk next to him.

 “Just gathering a few things.” Roman said as he put the goggles on. He thought of what to start with and decided it might be easier to cut the glass first. He took the glasses and went over to the laser cutter. He turned it on and started cutting into the glass.

 Logan couldn’t help but be fascinated with what Roman was doing. He took a few steps closer to the machine, watching as it easily cut a chunk out of the glass. It had taken him ages to chip away at the glass himself.

 Still, Logan just knew Roman was going to do something wrong and screw it all up, leaving Logan with no glass at all. “Roman, I once again must insist that you let me make them myself.”

 “It’s fine, I’ve got this!” Roman exclaimed as he finished cutting the first part and moved onto the second.

 “But you don’t need to get involved, and frankly I’d rather you didn’t.” Logan insisted. “You’re making unnecessary work for yourself for an outcome that will be less than ideal, only to expect me to give you gratitude for a task I would have rather completed myself.”

 “Yeah, yeah.” Roman said, focusing more on the task at hand then on what Logan was actually saying. Logan talked like his science teacher and he couldn’t help but zone out sometimes. He cut the second piece of glass and cheered in triumph. He then carefully gathered up the two impossibly tiny pieces of glass and set them down on the desk next to Logan.

 “Now all that’s left to do is get started on your frames!” Roman announced before looking around to find the necessary materials.

 Logan knelt down, inspecting the two pieces. They were slightly larger than Logan would have made them, and one was the tiniest bit smaller than the other. Nonetheless, they would suffice. If only he had some wiring…

 Logan suddenly remembered the paper clip he had borrowed just this morning and smirked. He didn’t need Roman’s permission. He had everything he needed right here.

 Logan sat down cross-legged, pulling out the paper clip and bending it into shape around the glass pieces. The familiar actions brought him comfort, reminding him of when he built the first pair. He had been so proud, excitedly showing his discovery off to Patton. Logan frowned, not wanting to think about Patton right now as it only brought up troubling questions such as if he would ever see his best friend again. Would Patton be able to guess what happened to him?

 Logan shook his head. He couldn’t afford to think like that after only a few hours. He would get home. Or rather, he would continue to try to get home, despite the odds of escape slowly dwindling. Logan would just have to be patient.

 Logan stood up and traded out the broken frames for the new frames, testing it out. He took the wire and re-adjusted it a few times until it fit on his face in a more satisfactory way. Logan smiled, proud of his own handiwork as he set the old pair carefully in his bag.

 Roman paused in his search for materials to glance over in Logan’s direction, only to notice the new pair of glasses on his face. Even from far away, Roman could tell Logan’s glasses no longer had any breaks in it. He raised an eyebrow and came over to the desk, placing his hands on either side of Logan and leaning down to get a better look.

 “How did you…?” Roman left the question hanging. He  _had_  to admit, the glasses looked pretty good.

 “I told you I was more than capable.” Logan explained, holding his head a bit higher with pride at Roman’s questioning gaze. “Once the glass was cut it was simply a matter of shaping the wire around the lenses and then working with the material to allow it to shape to my face.”

 “Mhm, impressive.” Roman admitted, before scooping Logan up and bringing him up to his face. He smirked. “But, you still wouldn’t have been able to do anything if I hadn’t cut the glass for you.” Roman said, poking Logan in the side as he did so.

 “Not true.” Logan huffed, annoyed at the poke. “I could have cut the glass myself if you had given me the chance.”

 “Of course.” Roman teased. “But anyway, we have your new glasses so now we can start heading home!” Roman kept Logan in his hand, up against his chest as he walked out of the room.


	6. Pet Peeves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan begins to rant about how everything Roman does is irritating.

 “R-roman!” Logan stuttered ducking down as best he was able, trying to look down the hall. “What the heck are you thinking? I can’t be seen!”

 “And no one will, so chill.” Roman reassured as he peeked into the janitors room, informing him to lock the welding classroom door. With that done he headed back to his car, keeping a close eye for anyone. Thankfully, the college was fairly empty and he made it back to his car without running into anyone. He held Logan away from his chest and smiled.

 “You all good?” He asked.

 Logan found himself still shaking like a leaf at how close that encounter with another human just was, and how nonchalant Roman was about the whole thing. Roman had willingly gone to talk to another human, all while Logan was out in the open and scarcely covered by his hands.  _And Roman didn’t care_.

 “Are you insane?” Logan hissed. “What on earth were you thinking?” Logan, of course, already knew the answer: Roman  _wasn’t_  thinking.

 “What?” Roman didn’t have a clue of what Logan was going on about now.

 “That other human!” Logan explained, a bit exasperated at Roman’s confusion. “I keep trying to express to you the importance of me staying hidden, and yet you decide to ignore my remarks, leaving me exposed as you go talk to someone else!”

 “Wha-You were  _perfectly_  fine. I had you covered and no one, in fact, saw you. Now-” Roman placed Logan on the passenger seat. “Hush and sit still, we’ll be home soon.” Roman turned the car on and backed out of the parking lot.

 “Stop acting as though you know best!” Logan yelled, trying to stand up just to defy Roman’s statement but finding himself once again thrown to the seat by the motion of the vehicle. “You have no way of knowing that other human didn’t see me. They could have seen me and chosen to stay silent about it.” Logan prayed they would continue to stay silent, if that was the case.

 Roman glanced toward Logan, eyebrow raised. It was funny how Logan had gone from not talking at all to now yelling at him. He couldn’t help but smirk, liking the change. “Of  _course_  I know best. Which one of us is the human here? Besides, the college was empty, so there was no one there to even see you. You’re  _fine_.”

 “Falsehood.” Logan felt his hands clench into fists subconsciously. “ _Human_ does not mean  _knowing best_.” Logan said through gritted teeth. In fact, Logan would argue that it meant the opposite, but he still knew it was in his best interest not to directly antagonize Roman. “And obviously the college was  _not_ empty, seeing as you spoke to another individual.”  _Are you a liar now, as well?_ Logan added on in his head.

 “Okay, sorry, it was  _mostly_  empty. And yes, I think it does. Humans are the most intelligent creatures on this planet after all.” Roman was sure that was true. “And clearly our size difference is to show how superior we are to…well, whatever you are.” He was sure that was how it worked and Roman, even though Logan hadn’t revealed anything, was sure there  _had_  to be more of Logan’s kind. It only made sense, after all.

 “Superiority is not based upon strength or stature.” Logan argued. “It’s clear from the theory of Darwinism that superiority is actually based on the survival of those that fit the environment and are adaptable to change. You, living a life of human luxuries, have gotten set in your ways and out of sync with the natural order. In contrast, _I_  lead a life of uncertainty and change, which has led to me being far more ingenious and resilient.”

 Roman blinked as he pulled into the parking lot of his complex. “What?” He asked, turning towards Logan.

 “In summary, humans aren’t superior because they lack the ability to adapt.” Logan said, standing up now that the car was finally still.

 Roman grabbed Logan around the waist and brought him up to his face. “Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.” Roman said, rolling his eyes in a teasing manner. He dropped Logan into his pocket and started up towards his apartment.

 Logan huffed, crossing his arms as he swung back and forth in the pocket with Roman’s steps. He hated that Roman had managed to strike a nerve. Logan knew that his quick-thinking meant he was often one step ahead of humans, but that was while he was still in the walls. Out here, in Roman’s possession, it was difficult to keep that mindset.

 Roman entered his apartment, closing and locking the door behind him. That had been a heck of a mini adventure. Roman glanced at the clock, noticing it was a little past 7. It was probably as good of a time as any to have dinner. He walked into the kitchen and took Logan out of his pocket. He was about to set him down, but stopped.

 “You aren’t going to try and climb down to the floor again, are you?” Roman asked, suspicion in his eyes.

 “No.” Logan shook his head, lying. He had no guilt in lying to a human. Besides, he would only be attempting that again if he truly had a clear shot at escape. He wasn’t stupid.

 Roman hummed. He didn’t really believe him, but he also wanted to give him another chance. “Alright, but if I catch you trying to climb again…” Roman paused for affect. “I’ll be putting you in something a lot more secure than a glass.” Roman warned, before letting Logan down on the counter and heading towards the fridge to take out and heat up the pizza.

 Logan frowned, unsure of what Roman had in mind to keep him trapped. Logan figured it would be best not to find out, if possible.

 Just like earlier, Roman cut off a small piece of the pizza and placed it in front of Logan on a little saucer. “Enjoy!”

 Logan came over to inspect the food. He was getting hungrier, but he was still quite irritated with the whole trip. Logan didn’t want to satisfy Roman by taking the food. Still, he knew he would be hungry later, so Logan took out some spare plastic wrap from his bag and began wrapping up the food.

 Roman was about to take a bite out of his own slice of pizza, but paused when he noticed what Logan was doing. Where did that plastic wrap even come from? But, most importantly, “Why are you wrapping the pizza up?” Roman asked out loud.

 “I’m saving it for later.” Logan said, putting it into his bag.

 Roman frowned. “Okay…? But you don’t have to keep it with you, just let me put it back in the fridge for you.”

 “Well I can’t get to it if it’s in the fridge.” Logan argued, straightening up.

 Roman smirked. “Yeah, see, there’s this amazing thing called  _asking_  that you can do if you want it later.” Roman said, before eyeing the bag that Logan had put the pizza in. He had barely even noticed it before. Now he couldn’t help but wonder what else Logan had in there.

 Roman decided to find out himself, doubting Logan would tell him if he asked. So he reached towards Logan and grabbed the bag between two fingers, tugging it off of him easily.

 “Wait- HEY!” Logan shouted as his precious bag was suddenly taken. He tried to grab for the strap as it went over his head, but it quickly slipped out of his grasp and was yanked away. “GIVE THAT BACK!”

 Roman’s widened at Logan’s outburst. “Whoa, calm down. I’m just having a look.” Roman said before returning focus back down to the bag. He nudged it a bit, the bag being quite full. Curious, he dumped the contents out on his hand. From what he could see, there was the piece of pizza Logan had just placed in there, his old broken glasses, some more plastic wrap, some sort of pick tool thing, what seemed to be a crumb of a cracker, and a rolled up piece of string. There was also a small bit of glass, that seemed pointed if Roman was seeing that right, lots of lead and some paper scraps. Roman frowned in thought, glancing over at Logan.

 “How did you get this stuff?” Roman asked.

 Logan groaned, watching all his stuff tumble onto Roman’s palm. He waited anxiously for something to fall between the human’s fingers. Even if nothing got broken, it would be a nightmare to get it all back in just the way he liked it. He had a system.

 “I found it.” Logan said irritably.

 “Right…” Roman looked over the objects again. He took away the pizza, the string, the sharp piece of glass and the pick tool from the pile. He held them in his other hand as he placed the rest of the objects and bag in front of Logan.

 Logan frowned, noticing that Roman still had some of his tools and equipment. “And now they’re mine, so please give. them. back.” Logan insisted, beginning to put the items in front of him back into the bag.

 “Nah, I don’t think so.” Roman didn’t want Logan using any of these against him or to climb or whatnot. Taking away the pizza was just so he could put it back in the fridge. Which he did and then proceeded to dump the rest in the drawer with Logan’s hook.

 “You can have it back, along with your hook, later…maybe.” He added the maybe because Roman still wasn’t sure if he wanted Logan to ever have them back. Mostly because he  _didn’t need them_.

 “Oh, so now you’ve decided to steal from me as well?” Logan growled, staring daggers at Roman. “Was kidnapping not enough, then?”

 Roman blinked. “Wha-? Who said anything about kidnapping? I haven’t kidnapped you. And I’m not stealing. I’m simply putting your things away in a safe place until I think you can use them.” Roman crossed his arms.

 “You’re holding me against my will.” Logan stood and crossed his arms. “You haven’t even allowed me to travel to the floor while still within your sights.”

 “Okay, for one, I’m keeping you  _safe_  by not letting you on the ground. Do you  _want_  to get stepped on?” Roman asked, raising an eyebrow. “And I’m not holding you against your will if this is your home. And if you haven’t noticed, I’ve kind of adopted you.” Honestly, how hadn’t Logan known that already?

 “What?!” Logan couldn’t help but exclaim, shaking his head. At first Logan thought that Roman knew he lived in the walls, before remembering that Roman had proclaimed the apartment to be Logan’s new home. He felt his hands clench into fists, shaking in rage. “ _This isn’t my home_!”

 “Of course it is.” Roman waving a hand around his apartment and bowing slightly for affect. “Mi casa es su casa.”

 “No!” Logan insisted, not actually sure what the human had just said. “No, I don’t live here! I already have a home!”

 Roman’s eyes widened at that, shocked. “But…you told me you didn’t belong to anyone.” Had Logan lied again?

 “I belong to  _myself_.” Logan hissed. “Like most adults living on their own. Like you do as well.” Logan hated putting himself in the same category as Roman, but perhaps he could use Roman as an example to force him to understand. “You wouldn’t say you belong to anyone, either.”

 “Well, of course not. I’m not a pet.” Seriously, why was Logan having such a hard time grasping this? Roman had to admit it was making him a bit irritated.

 “Wh- Neither am I!” Logan insisted, flabbergasted. Of course he knew that Roman viewed him as a lesser being, but never did Logan think he fell so low in Roman’s sights. It made the future that much more disheartening.

 “Yes, you are. Look, I’m not going to explain that to you. In all honesty, it should be obvious. And anyway, you should be  _thanking_  me for taking you in. From what I’ve gathered, your life before wasn’t exactly shining.” Roman suddenly scooped Logan up, poking at his stomach. “I mean, just look at how skinny you are. You obviously don’t get enough to eat.”

 “You know nothing about my life!” Logan pushed at Roman’s finger, scooting back slightly. He hated how undignified he must look sitting in Roman’s hands, especially now that he knew how Roman was viewing him. “It has nothing to do with my diet, I’m just naturally skinny.” This was partially a lie, but Logan wasn’t about to give Roman a win.

 “Right.” Roman rolled his eyes. He glanced around the kitchen, before deciding to clean up with his free hand. Once the pizza was back in the fridge he headed towards his room and once again sat at his desk. He stared down at Logan, searching. He sighed.

 “Look, I know this is new and scary to you. But everything will be just fine. You’ll have a steady, healthy diet, some new clothes, and most importantly you’ll be safe. I’ll take good care of you.”


	7. Measures of strength

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It takes a lot of strength to push a giant's fingers off you, and it takes even more strength to admit you're reaching your breaking point.

“I don’t need to be  _taken care of_.” Logan hated Roman’s condescending attitude, as if Roman knew better. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” To demonstrate this, Logan jumped off Roman’s palm towards the desk.

 Roman’s breath hitched when Logan jumped, only returning to normal when he saw he was okay. Thankfully, Roman had been holding him close to the surface. He thought about reprimanding him for that, but decided instead to focus on what Logan had just said.

 “Are you now?” Roman asked, eyebrow raised. Irritation clear in his hardened eyes. “Alright then.” Roman reached out his hand, knocking Logan to the ground and then placing a single finger on his chest, applying a minimal amount of pressure.

 “Show me.”

 Logan gasped, finding the breath knocked out of him as he was shoved down. It was hard to get that breath back, as suddenly there was a heavy weight on his chest. The amount of effort it took for Roman to restrain him was worrying, and Logan was reminded of all the horror stories he had been told about humans as a kid. Logan looked up at Roman, trying to focus on his anger from earlier instead of his sudden fear.

 “T-This isn’t a fair test.” Logan managed to stutter out, pushing weakly at Roman’s finger despite knowing logically that it would do nothing.

 “Mhm, so you’re saying you can’t do it?” Roman barely even felt Logan pushing on his finger.

 “No!” Logan gritted his teeth. He could think of one way to move Roman’s finger. It would probably only serve to anger Roman and not help Logan in the long run, but Logan was determined to not let this witless, patronizing human win.

 Logan felt around for his bag, reaching in and grabbing one of his pieces of lead. Giving a quick prayer that this would work (and that Roman wouldn’t immediately kill him for this), Logan stabbed the lead into Roman’s skin just beneath the human’s fingernail.

 “Ow!” Roman yelled, pulling his hand back and looking at his finger. There was a piece of led under his fingernail. He pulled it out and turned to Logan with a glare. “What the hell!?” Roman snatched Logan up in a fist and bringing him up to his face. He hadn’t noticed yet, but he was applying more pressure than he had before.

 Logan wanted to put on a brave face, but even he could not when an angry human was painfully squeezing his sides. Logan winced, finding it once again difficult to breathe. His ears continued to ring from Roman’s yelling. He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the world and calm down so he could answer, but the pressure all around him was impossible to ignore.

 “You said to s-show you.” Logan feebly spoke up, once again attempting to look Roman in the eye.

 “I didn’t mean stab me!” Roman exclaimed. “And how did that work out for you, huh? Or do you want to try and get out of this?” Roman applied a quick burst of pressure to drive home what he was saying.

 “Ah!” Logan let out a cry of pain as the grip tightened. This was it, Roman was going to kill him.

 Roman’s anger dissipated as soon as he heard Logan’s cry of pain. His eyes widened when he realized exactly how tight he was holding him and opened his hand so Logan could sit in his palm. He went from angry to concerned in just a few seconds. He had only meant to scare him, not hurt him. He tentatively reached a finger out with his free hand, gently touching Logan’s side. “Are you alright?”

 Logan took a moment to steady his breathing, not wanting to sound any weaker than he probably looked. He scooted away from Roman’s finger. “I’m fine.” He lied, subconsciously wrapping his arms around his middle. Logan’s fingers brushed against his sides, and he wondered briefly if there would be any more bruising. It seemed likely.

 Roman sighed, running his free hand through his hair. “I didn’t-I didn’t mean to hurt you. I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you, after all you were just doing as I had asked. But you must understand that you are  _much_  too small to take care of yourself. Yes, you did manage to get my finger off of you, but-and I hate to say this-I could have easily crushed you despite that.” Roman shook his head.

 “I am only trying to protect you.”

 “I don’t need protection.” Logan was still shaken by the event, but he knew that if he didn’t verbally defend himself, no one would. “In my normal life I don’t have a human so close threatening me all the time. It’s a fight or flight world, and I happen to be very good at the flight aspect instead.  _That’s_  why it wasn’t fair.” Logan paused, getting an idea. “If you truly wanted to test if I could take care of myself, you would test my ability to run and hide.”

 Roman shook his head. “I’m not going to argue with you about this anymore.” Roman pushed himself up, Logan still in hand. “In fact, I think it might be time for bed.”

 “I’m not tired.” Logan argued, disappointed that Roman hadn’t taken the bait.

 “Too bad. It’s time for bed. I have to be up early for school tomorrow and I need my eight hours.” Roman looked around the room, trying to think of what would be a good place for Logan to sleep.

 “…Alright, then I should get heading back to my bed.” Logan tried, knowing it was likely a lost cause but still worth a shot.

 “Your bed?” Roman asked, confused.

 “Yes,  _my_  bed.” Logan did his best to not sound annoyed. “In  _my_  house. Where I live. Which is. Not.  _Here_.”

 Roman rolled his eyes. “How many times must I say this,  _this_  is your home now. And I think…” Roman looked around one final time. “I’m just going to have you sleep in my bed with me.” Roman sat down on his bed, putting Logan down on the left side pillow.

 “This isn’t my home.” Logan muttered, knowing his words would do nothing. He allowed himself to sink back into the pillow slightly; trying to stand would be a useless and humiliating endeavor.

 “You’ll feel differently in a few weeks, I’m sure.” Roman said. He stepped into his closet, quickly changing before coming back and slipping into bed. He turned onto his side so he was facing Logan. “Need anything before I turn off the light?”

 Logan crossed his arms, surveying the room. “…no.”

 “Alright then. Goodnight specs.” Roman reached out and ruffled Logan’s hair before using the same hand to turn off the light. He settled into bed, eyes closed and waiting for sleep to take him.

 Logan fixed his hair, grumbling to himself. He glared over at the human who had his eyes shut. At least now he finally had the perfect opportunity to escape. Logan slowly slid down the pillow, landing on the mattress and nearly losing his balance. Logan crept his way over to the edge of the bed. Looking down first to check that the blankets reached the floor, Logan grabbed onto the thick fabric and slid down, wincing at the noise.

 Roman furrowed his eyes as a strange, but faint sound filled his ears. He opened his eyes, squinting since they hadn’t fully adjusted to the dark yet. He turned to where Logan should be with a confused frown. “Logan?” He reached over and turned on the light, finally noticing that Logan was no longer there.

 He shot up in bed, looking around. “Logan!?”

 Logan silently cursed to himself, looking around for a place to hide. He dashed underneath the bed, pausing for a moment at the absolute mess. There was an abundance of papers, pencils, and even a few piles of clothing scattered as far as Logan’s eyes could see. It was a borrower’s paradise. Logan took refuge in the nearest clothing pile, diving into it.

 Roman jumped out of bed after making sure Logan wasn’t immediately under him. He scanned his bedroom floor, but didn’t see anything. Roman felt a bit of panic rise in his chest at the thought of Logan already being long gone, but he pushed it down. He was sure of that yet, there was still plenty of places to hide in his room. Besides, the door was closed. How else would he get out?

 Roman’s first thought was to check under his bed, so with careful movements, he laid on his stomach and searched. He winced when he saw how messy it was, not having realized how much he actually shoved under there. It  _would_  be a good place for Logan to hide though.

 He reached out his hand and felt around the pile of clothes nearest to him. Making sure he was careful enough just in case Logan was hiding in there.

 Logan froze, not daring to move as he felt the clothes rustling around him. He was tucked away within the folds of a thick sweatshirt, but somehow Logan knew it wouldn’t be enough.

 As Roman ran his hands over the clothes he felt a strange bump in the fabric. And while it could have simply been a bunch of fabric knotted together, it could also be Logan. Roman snatched the fabric up and carefully peeled away the fabric to reveal that the bump had, in fact, been Logan.

 Roman let out a sigh of relief before a glare of annoyance took over his features as soon as Logan was revealed.

 “…I wanted to sleep down here.” Logan lied quietly, hoping he wouldn’t anger Roman further.

 “Hmm…” Roman hummed, not sure if he believed Logan or not. But he was much too tired to deal with him at the moment. Like he said, he had school the next day and needed to get his full eight hours. So instead of hounding on Logan for the truth, he simply sighed.

 “Well, you  _clearly_  can’t stay on the bed anymore.” Roman said, though it was more to himself than Logan. He got to his feet, keeping Logan in a firm fist as he once again looked around the room. His eyes wandered towards his nightstand and then towards the drawer. Roman smiled. Perfect.

 He grabbed a clean shirt from his closet and lined the drawer with it before placing Logan inside. “There, I’d like to see you get out of  _that_.” Roman teased tiredly.

 Logan glared up at the human, standing up. “I can’t stay here!”

 “Of course you can, you’ll be perfectly fine.” Roman said, waving him off. “Maybe if you weren’t always trying to climb you could stay in the bed with me.” Roman sighed, shaking his head.

 “Maybe tomorrow. Goodnight Logan.” And with that he shut the drawer and got back into bed. Making sure he turned off the light before settling back down and finally letting sleep take him.

 Logan was thrown to the ground when the drawer moved out from under his feet, and it took him a few seconds to recover. He looked around at his surroundings, eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. Logan shuddered as he realized the small size of his enclosure. Usually, Logan was by no means claustrophobic. After all, he lived within the walls. But this was an entirely different experience to his home. Here he was  _trapped_.

 Logan got up, feeling along the edges of the drawer for any means of escape. He knocked along the floor of the drawer for any weak spots, but the wood held firm. Logan dug through his bag for any tool that could help. This proved fruitless, as Roman had taken everything that could have possibly been useful.  

 In an act of desperation Logan threw himself against the front side to try and open the drawer from the inside; he was unsuccessful.

 Logan groaned. Why hadn’t he waited just a little longer until Roman was asleep? He was such a fool. Logan hit the wood in frustration, sliding down to sit with his back to the wall. Logan kicked the shirt away with a huff, not wanting Roman’s “charity”.

 Logan’s vision became blurred. Reaching up a hand to feel his face, he realized he was crying. Logan did not normally cry, but he supposed this situation warranted an exception. This was emotionally tolling with no end in sight. His probability of escape was lower than ever. The human keeping him captive viewed him as little more than an animal companion. Things were looking bleak for him; and so, Logan pulled his knees close and allowed the tears to fall.


	8. A brand new day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things begin to be looking up for Logan at breakfast, only for things to go downhill immediately after.

Roman woke up to a slight buzzing and turned to grab his phone off his nightstand. He turned off the alarm and stretched, eyes glancing towards the drawer as he remembered the night before. Grinning, he got out of bed and carefully pulled open the drawer.

 Logan groaned as the floor shook beneath him, curling further into a ball to get a few more precious minutes of sleep.

 Logan was curled up in his shirt, looking to be sound asleep. Roman couldn’t help but aww at the cute sight. He took out his phone and quickly took a picture before putting it back in his pocket. He thought over his options before just going for it and scooping Logan up and out of the drawer.

 Logan let out a startled yelp as he was uncomfortably pulled out of his tense, dreamless sleep. He looked around, trying to gain his bearings.

 “Good morning!” Roman greeted, once he saw that Logan was awake. He closed the drawer and held Logan out in front of him, cupped in both of his hands.

 Logan couldn’t help but jump at the human’s voice, looking up at Roman with a mix of confusion and fear until the events of yesterday came back to him. What a horrible day it is when the nightmare is the reality.

 “So, how did you sleep?” Roman asked, trying to make conversation as he headed into the kitchen.

 “Poorly.” Logan replied coldly, decidedly looking away from Roman.

 Roman frowned. “Well that isn’t good…I really should find you a proper place to sleep. Or at the very least make the drawer more comfortable. Maybe we can head to the store after classes and see if we can find anything.” He still needed to go grocery shopping anyway.

 He placed Logan on his shoulder and started to cook some eggs.

 Logan frantically steadied himself on Roman’s shoulder, holding Roman’s collar in a death grip out of sheer self-preservation. “The problem is the enclosing space, not the comfort of the drawer.” Logan happened to glance down and visibly paled, scooting closer to Roman’s neck. It was far too early in the morning for this nonsense. “I-I just need to sleep somewhere else.”

 Roman paused. “You’re not…you’re not claustrophobic are you?” Roman hadn’t even thought about that possibility. And if it was true, then Roman felt guilty about putting him in the drawer for the night.

 “Apparently, I am.” Logan would answer anything to get him out of that sleeping arrangement. Besides, if last night was any indication, there was strong evidence pointing to the fact that Logan was indeed claustrophobic.

 “Oh.” Roman stared at the eggs as they cooked for a moment before speaking. “I’m…sorry. I didn’t know.” Roman rubbed the back of his neck, moving the eggs around with his free hand.

 “I won’t put you in there again.” Roman said. He would need to think of something later on though. A more permanent sleeping arrangement.

 “Good.” Logan warily watched Roman’s fingers approach as the human rubbed his neck. Logan would believe it when he saw it. And frankly, he’d rather not spend another night with Roman at all if he could help it. “…and can you put me down?”

 “In a sec.” Roman said, wanting to finish up the eggs first. He continued to cook them until they were nice and fluffy, before pouring them onto a paper plate and going over to sit down at the table. He grabbed Logan off his shoulder and set him down to the right of the plate.

 “Alright, dig in.” Roman said, following his own words and grabbing a forkful of egg.

 Logan’s stomach growled, reminding him he hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning, but he hesitated as he spotted an opportunity. “I can’t.”

 Roman stopped mid-chew. He swallowed before speaking. “What do you mean ‘you can’t’?”

 “I don’t have my utensil.” Logan gestured to Roman’s fork. “You took it away yesterday.”

 Roman looked down at his fork as Logan gestured to it, before turning back towards him. “I don’t see why you can’t just use your hands.”

 “That’s unsanitary and demeaning.” Logan glared up at him, crossing his arms. Roman’s offensive nature continued to surprise and annoy him.  “I’m not going to do that.”

 Roman frowned, but gave in with a sigh. He stood up and opened the drawer, taking out what he assumed to be what Logan was talking about before going back over to the table and handing it to him. “There. But I want it back after you’re finished eating.”

 “Well that’s just not logical.” Logan began twirling it in his fingers, glad to have the familiar tool back in his grasp. “After all, I’ll clearly need it again. It seems a waste of time and energy for you to have to fetch it for every meal. Not to mention, that would just increase the probability of it getting lost. It would be most convenient if I just held on to it.”

 Roman frowned because he could see the logic in what Logan was saying. He stared at the tool in Logan’s hand, analysing it. He supposed…there wouldn’t be any harm in Logan keeping this one. It wasn’t like he could use it for much of anything except eating anyway.

 “Alright, you can keep that one.” Roman said, shoveling more eggs into his mouth. “But hurry up and eat, we have to be at the school in forty minutes.” That reminded him, he took out his phone and set a quick text to Virgil, asking him if he was going to school and wanted a ride.

 Logan grinned in victory. He began to eat quickly, but in between mouthfuls his eyebrows raised at Roman’s words. “Why do  _we_  have to go?” He asked, trying not to let his worry be heard.

 “Well, I’m not about to leave you at home. At the very least, not yet.” Roman set his fork down, waiting for Logan to be done as he sat back with his arms crossed.

 “Well why not?” Logan argued, knowing fully well why not but wanting Roman to voice his exact concerns just in case Logan could convince him otherwise.

 “Because, it’s occured to me, after last night, that you aren’t simply trying to get to the floor, but are trying to escape.” Roman answered. “Which, I honestly don’t understand. Considering everything I am providing for you.”

 “ _Everything you’ve provided for me_?” Logan’s nose wrinkled in irritation, and he fought to keep his cool. The most Roman had provided for him was a massive headache, as well as several bruises that throbbed painfully in memory. He wanted to call Roman a few choice names, but name-calling would get him nowhere. Logan took a deep breath. “I haven’t been trying to escape, I’ve just been trying to stretch my legs. I get restless. So I would prefer to stay in the apartment for the day and do just that.”

 Roman smirked. “Nice try.” He stood up and picked up the plate, throwing it away. “But I admire the effort.” He picked Logan back up and headed back towards his room. He placed him on his desk as he went into his closet to change really fast, checking his phone as he came back out.

 A text from Virgil told him he was staying home today. So no need to wait up for him. He pocketed his phone and grabbed his backpack, placing it a bit away from Logan on the desk to look through it and see if he had everything.

 “Roman, please.” Logan resorted to pleading, eyeing the backpack cautiously. “I don’t want to go with you into a crowded area full of humans. Someone is bound to discover me. Just let me stay here. Surely there’s somewhere I could be…  _put_ …” Logan hated using that phrasing for himself. “Where you could trust that I would still be there when you get back.” Logan paused, getting an idea of just such a place. “The drawer from last night, for example.”

 “But…didn’t you  _just_  say you hated being in there?” Roman shook his head. “I’m not changing my mind, I’m sorry Logan, but you are coming with me.” He bent down so he was eye level with him.

 “There is no reason for you to worry though, I’ll be extra careful today. Not a single person will see you.” He sent Logan a comforting smile and pat him on the head gently before standing back up and finishing looking through his backpack.

 “The fact that I hated the drawer and yet would prefer it to your company should be some inclination towards how dire my desire to stay put truly is!” Logan felt his voice increasing in volume as he fixed his hair. Roman’s reassurances did nothing to lessen Logan’s worry. He wanted to run but knew he wouldn’t get far.

 Roman sent Logan a small glare. “Just try it, you’ll see it’s not so bad.” Roman grabbed a sweatshirt, putting it on over his t-shirt and then swung on his backpack.

 “Now come on, we have to go right now or I’m going to be late.” He grabbed Logan and gently shoved him in his front sweatshirt pocket as he made his way out the door and towards his car.

 Logan struggled to steady himself against Roman’s movements, finding this pocket to be softer and bigger than the one yesterday but still by no means comfortable. Was Roman seriously planning on keeping him in a pocket  _all day_? What happened to the backpack? Logan had assumed he’d go there. Logan squirmed purposefully, hitting Roman in the stomach with his arm.

 Roman felt a slight tap against his midsection as he hopped into his car. He figured it was Logan adjusting himself and ignored it. He started up his car and turned on his music.

 “‘ _Let’s get down to business, to defeat the Huns. Did they send me daughters, when I asked for sons?_ ’!” He sung along with the music.

 Logan covered his ears, desperately trying to protect himself from the loud music originating from both the car and the human he was pressed against. It shook through his core, making the borrower fear he’d go deaf. “ROMAN!” Logan shouted desperately.

 Roman was startled out of his singing by Logan’s sudden yell. Thinking something must be wrong, Roman quickly pulled over onto the side of the road and turned off the music. He took Logan out of his pocket, looking him over.

 “What? Are you alright? What happened?” Roman asked.

 “The music!” Logan found himself to be yelling, his hands still pressed firmly to his ears as a ringing continued to pound in his skull. He glared up at Roman. “It’s far too loud!”

 “…Oh.” Roman said, realizing his mistake. He hadn’t even been thinking about how the music would sound to Logan. Whoops.

 “Sorry about that. I’ll uh, leave it off.” Roman paused. “You okay?”

 “No!” Logan lowered his hands, but the ringing continued. “You’re not exactly filling me with confidence about your attentiveness. If you’re going to insist upon bringing me with you, for the love of god you must think before you act.”  _For once_.

 “You’re right.” Though he hated to admit it, he really  _hadn’t_  been thinking. He had to keep Logan in the front of his mind, especially if he wanted this to work out. “I’ll be more careful, I swear it.” Roman sent Logan a reassuring smile, before setting him down on the passenger seat and pulling back onto the road. He figured he could leave Logan out until they actually made it to the school.

 “Oh, good.” Logan sarcastically replied, not at all convinced. He appreciated the music being turned off and being temporarily free of the pocket, but since soon he’d be surrounded by humans Logan knew he had to capitalize on this time alone with Roman to get his opinions heard. “If you were truly being careful you’d turn around and drop me off at the apartment. There’s sure to be dozens of instances just like this throughout the day-”  _Caused by your ignorance, no doubt_. Logan noted, “-and with so many other humans around it will be near impossible for me to get your attention without drawing attention to myself.”

 “Logan, I already told you. Everything is going to be fine, this was one mess up. Something that won’t happen again.” He paused. “And I think you are giving yourself too much credit. You’re much too small to draw that much to yourself.”

 Logan glared at him. “Alright then, correction: I won’t be able to get your attention without  _you_  drawing attention to me. The word ‘subtle’ does not seem to be in your vocabulary.”

 “You have absolutely no faith in anything, do you?” Roman asked, sending a quick raised eyebrow towards Logan before his eyes turned back to the road. “And I can be subtle! I’m an actor, I can be anything.”

 “If you can be anything, then be less of a cretin.” Logan muttered to himself. He turned to the human, once again raising his voice to speak to Roman. “Even if I had faith in you, I certainly don’t have faith in all other humans. You have no way of predicting every person’s actions you will encounter through the day. For example, what if someone else obnoxiously blares their music? You have no control over that.”

 “No, but I  _can_  leave the room. It’s college, nothing is stopping me from leaving if something like that happens.” Roman explained, finally pulling into the school parking lot. “In fact, I was even thinking about skipping my last class. Since I have you and everything, but we’ll see.” Roman shrugged. His last class wasn’t anything really important. He could afford to miss one or two classes.

 “In any case, we’re here.”

 _Already_? Logan whipped his head around, trying to see through the car window to confirm but from his perspective he could only see the blue sky above. “Roman,  _don’t_  put me back in your pocket. What if someone pushes into you? What if you fall? It’s a terrible idea-”

 Roman didn’t even bother answering Logan this time, getting tired of Logan’s concerns. Instead, he went ahead and grabbed Logan, stuffing him in his pocket. He left his hand in as he got out of the car and headed toward the school.

 Logan bit down the urge to yell at Roman, the sound of other human beans in the near vicinity reminding him of the situation. Instead Logan fumed quietly to himself, glaring at the giant hand still also occupying the pocket. What, so now he had to be babysat by Roman’s fingers as well? Logan gave them a kick.

 Roman’s hand flinched at the sudden contact. But Roman smirked to himself and poked Logan right back as he sat down at a desk in the back of the classroom.

 Logan flinched, peeved that his actions did nothing but bring Roman even closer. Logan sighed, scooting away from Roman’s hand to sulk at the other end of the pocket.


	9. Virgil's strange discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton's morning starts off poorly when he gets stuck in a spider's web. Virgil's morning starts off poorly when he finds a tiny person stuck in a spider's web.

 

Patton couldn’t quite grasp the fact he was where he was. It had just been a simple run across the floor, it cut his trip almost in half if he went through the human’s apartment rather than going around using the walls. But then he thought he had heard something and ran in another direction…only to be stopped by a sticky, stringy substance. **  
**

A spider’s web.

 Struggling only caused him to get more tangled and more stuck. And now here he was, in the corner of the human’s house, stuck and at the mercy of the spider that was sure to come back soon. Patton felt like crying, in fact, he could feel the tears already rolling down his cheeks. This was it, wasn’t it? This was where he was going to die.

 Patton tensed as something crawled out from underneath a crack in the wall. The borrower couldn’t help but resume his struggles as a spider, maybe half his height, came crawling towards him.

 As the spider started to climb onto the web and a hairy leg touched him, Patton couldn’t help but scream.

 Virgil was having a slow morning. He had texted Roman not to pick him up for school, instead opting to skip class and lay in bed with his depressing thoughts. Eventually he rolled out of bed, trudging towards the kitchen for some coffee. More espresso, less depresso.

 However, Virgil’s morning took a very different turn when he entered the living room and heard a blood-curdling scream. Virgil almost dropped his phone in surprise, frantically looking for the source.

 Patton was too busy focusing on the spider to notice the human had walked into the room. He tried kicking at the spider, but his leg was too tied up to do any good. The spider seemed to relish in his struggles and Patton watched with horror as the spider started to spin a web around his legs.

 “No, no, no, no! Help!” Patton cried out, hoping and praying  _someone_  would hear him.

 Virgil looked down, eyes widening. “What the hell?!” Was that…a tiny person? In a spider web? Virgil rushed over, noticing the spider now. Gross. Virgil looked around for something to use, trading out his phone for a book and using the corner to push the spider away from the tiny person thing. Once he had a clear shot, Virgil brought the book down and killed the spider quickly.

 Patton’s eyes widened as the human came over towards him and killed the spider. The spider was dead. Which was good, it meant Patton wasn’t going to be eaten.

 But now the human knew about him…and he knew that was much worse.

 When he wished someone would hear him this wasn’t what he had meant.

 He struggled against the webbing, desperate to get away from the human before he could turn his attention back onto him. Sure, the human had saved him. And yes, Patton  _did_  want to thank him. But all the horror stories he had heard about humans from when he was a child came rushing back in that instance and told Patton he had to get away.  _Now_.

 Unfortunately, he was utterly and completely stuck.

 “Woah, hey, calm down.” Virgil watched its struggles increase, probably just getting it more stuck. Virgil didn’t want to get his hand all dirty, but the little guy had cried out for help… so, with a grimace, Virgil reached out a hand and grabbed him out of the spiderweb.

 Patton gasped as he felt the human’s fingers wrap around him. His body was shaking, but his struggles had ceased, frozen in fear. He looked up at the human with wide, tearful eyes. Was  _this_  where he died?

 “Uh…are you okay?” Virgil asked, noticing that the little guy had stopped struggling. Virgil brought him closer to his face, trying to see if he was hurt.

 Patton yelped as he was brought even  _closer_  to the human. Patton squirmed in the grip, but was confused when the human’s words registered. Why…Why did the human care if he was okay if he was just going to kill him? Did that mean he wasn’t going to? Patton really hoped so. He debated on whether or not to answer, before figuring what was the harm?

 “I-I’m…okay?” He wasn’t quite sure yet, to be honest.

 “…Cool.” Virgil cringed at himself.  _Cool? How the heck did that apply to this situation? But what else was he supposed to say when he found a tiny person trapped by a spider in his living room?_  “Sorry, I really don’t uh… how did you get here?”

 Patton blinked, wondering how he should answer. “…Through the walls?” Patton said after some hesitation. Oh gosh, he really shouldn’t be speaking to the human at all.

 “Oh.” Virgil pinched his leg with his free hand to make sure this wasn’t some weird dream. “I’m sorry, but I have to ask: why are you so small?” Was that rude? Virgil had no idea, but it was impossible to ignore the tiny elephant in the room.

 What should Patton say? He couldn’t say he was a borrower, that was against the rules, but…maybe he didn’t have to tell the human  _that_  part of things.

 “I was…born this way.” Patton said, hoping the human would leave it at that.

  _Oh no it was rude_. “Sorry!” Virgil panicked. “I didn’t know, I haven’t met someone like you before, I just thought- maybe you shrunk or something? Whatever, ignore me.” Virgil sighed, running a hand through his hair and trying to recollect his thoughts.  _Introductions. Introductions should be first, you idiot._ “Well uh, in any case, my name’s Virgil. Do you have a name?”

 Patton blinked. “Oh! Uh, my name is Patton.” He answered. He would have rubbed the back of his neck, but his arms were currently trapped at his sides. Both by the human’s fingers and by the spider web still tangled around him.

 Patton hesitated, but needed to ask. “Are you…going to let me go?”

  _Oh yeah_. Virgil looked down at his hand, realizing he was still holding Patton. “Oh, right, sorry.” Virgil glanced around, trying to find a suitable place to set Patton down. “Just a sec, hold on.” Virgil warned him, standing up. He placed his second hand underneath Patton for extra security, absolutely terrified at the idea of dropping him. With this in mind, Virgil hurried his pace to the bathroom.

 Patton wasn’t sure how he was supposed to hold on with his arms trapped, but then realized Virgil probably meant it as a figure of speech. Wait, where was Virgil even going?

 Virgil set Patton carefully down on the countertop, breathing a sigh of relief that they had arrived safely. “I figured you’d want to get cleaned up. Are you like,  _stuck_  stuck or do you want some help or…?” Virgil trailed off, realizing halfway through his sentence he wasn’t sure where his thoughts were going.

 “No! I-I mean, no thank you, I can do it…um…” Patton struggled against the web once again, trying to be more strategic in getting it off now that he didn’t have to worry  _too_  much about immediate danger. Though, like before, he wasn’t having the best luck.

 “Um…” Virgil watched Patton struggle. “Are you sure?”

 “Yeah, uh, I-I got it!” He actually really didn’t, but he also didn’t want Virgil to come any closer again. Though, if he couldn’t get out of this soon, it might happen anyway.

 Virgil was unconvinced. He ducked down under the sink, emerging from the cabinets with a washcloth. Virgil got the washcloth wet, wringing out the excess water in the sink. He looked at Patton again. “Can I just…?” Virgil slowly brought the washcloth closer. “Just a little bit, to help. I’ll be careful.”

 Patton scooted back with wide eyes. But…he had to face the fact he couldn’t get out of this without help. So, he nodded ever so slightly and braced himself.

 “Okay, okay.” Virgil fought to keep his hand steady, already feeling it shaking. Good lord he was nervous. But at least it was just a washcloth, what’s the worst that could happen? Virgil reached over and gently rubbed at the webbing, watching it slowly wash off.

 “There.” Virgil sighed in relief, pulling his hand away. Patton was still a mess, but at least his limbs were free.

 That…hadn’t been so bad actually. And now Patton was free enough to get the rest of the webbing off himself. Which he did. He stood, brushing off the excess webbing on his clothes and turned to face Virgil with a smile.

 “Thanks kiddo!”

  _…Kiddo_? “Uh, you’re welcome.” Virgil gave him a cautious smile in return, thrown off slightly by the nickname.

 “Um…Thank for all the help again, but uh, are-are you going to let me go?” Patton asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He could feel his heart racing with nerves. He was so scared that Virgil was going to say no.

 “Wha- oh, right.” Virgil realized now what Patton was trying to say. He didn’t want to force Patton to stay, but this was all so surreal. He rubbed the back of his neck as well. “Well, do you  _have_  to go? I-I mean, I’m not going to force you to stay!” Virgil quickly corrected. “But, if you wanted, you could, I dunno, stick around? For a while? I could get you some breakfast or something.” Virgil offered this without thinking, suddenly wondering if he actually had anything in his cabinets that Patton could eat. He wasn’t the best about keeping himself fed, and since he lived alone this meant his pantry was occasionally bare.

 “I mean, I really should go…but,” Patton was still terrified of Virgil, that wasn’t going to go away that quickly. But…he felt different now. Like maybe, Virgil wasn’t like all the humans he had heard about. At least, not from what he had seen anyway. And Patton  _was_  hungry. “I can stay for breakfast…” Patton would eat and then…then he would see if Virgil really was serious about letting him go.

 “Oh, sweet.” Virgil was surprised, having fully expected Patton to want to leave.  _Who actually wants to stay with you?_  “Well, uh, okay.” Virgil suddenly realized the distance from the bathroom to the kitchen, trying to figure out how to get Patton from point A to point B. “Can I just…should I…how do you want to do this?”

 “Wha-Oh!” Patton realized halfway what Virgil meant. He shifted his weight, nervous all over again. “I-I don’t want to be grabbed.” Patton said.

 “K, no grabbing.” Virgil nodded. Wait….did that mean Patton hated it earlier? The thought made Virgil feel awful, even if he had only been trying to help. “Uh…” Virgil looked around for a better solution, thinking it’d be kind of dumb to eat breakfast in the bathroom. Unfortunately, Virgil had to admit it wasn’t the dumbest thing he’d ever done.

 “Alright, just wait here then, I guess.” Virgil said, heading to the kitchen.

 Patton blinked, watching as Virgil left. Patton was confused and though Virgil had told him to wait, Patton was too curious. So, he took out his hook and quickly climbed down the counter. He then started on his way towards the kitchen, keeping to the walls just in case Virgil came back.

 Virgil searched through his pantry, regretting not asking Patton what he wanted for breakfast. He had assumed Patton just ate regular food, but what if he was like some mythical creature that only ate berries or something? What  _was_ Patton, anyways?

 Virgil shook his head. No time for that, Patton was waiting. Virgil didn’t have to ponder his choice long as his quick breakfast options were limited to just cereal. He took out a bowl, pouring some out for Patton. Since he was already there Virgil decided to pour a bowl for himself as well.

 …Oh jeez, that was way too much cereal for Patton. Virgil looked around for a smaller bowl, pulling open every drawer. Did he even own a smaller bowl? Virgil couldn’t remember anymore. Maybe a small plate would work better, but would that be demeaning or something? A large spoon might work, but it would spill on the way there. And also Virgil didn’t own a large spoon.

 Patton was surprised he made it to the kitchen while Virgil was still in there. He thought for sure they would have met up in the middle or something. He thought about getting Virgil’s attention, but instead walked closer to the counter a few feet away from the human. He swung his hook onto the top and then started to climb.

 He didn’t bother rolling up his hook after he made it to the top. Instead looking Virgil over, who seemed to be freaking out a bit. Patton’s eyebrows furrowed with concern. “Kiddo? Everything okay?”

 “Ah!” Virgil jumped, startled out of his thoughts by Patton’s voice. His eyes widened, looking down at the little guy now standing on the kitchen counter.  _How the hell did he get here?_  “How did- but I… what…? How’d you get here?” Virgil managed to collect his thoughts enough to get a proper question out.

 “I walked.” Patton answered simply. “And climbed.” He added, pointing to his hook. “But seriously kiddo, are you okay? You looked like you were freaking out there for a second.” Patton honestly wasn’t surprised to find himself this worried about a human. He just couldn’t help it. What would Logan say to him about that?

 “…Oh.” Virgil looked at the string. He was impressed. “Yeah, I’m fine, I was just figuring out breakfast stuff.” Virgil glanced between Patton and the bowls of cereal. He pushed one slightly closer to Patton. “Sorry, I…couldn’t find a smaller bowl.” Virgil realized now that he hadn’t even looked for milk, but knew it would be a lost cause anyway. He had run out earlier in the week. Then again… Virgil peeked in the fridge, double checking what he already knew. Yup, no milk.

 “It’s okay kiddo!” Patton reassured the human. He took a piece of the cereal and started to munch on it. “Thank you! This is really good!”

 “Really?” Virgil looked at Patton, a little unsure if he should believe him or if Patton was just saying that to be nice. It was just dry cereal.

 “Yeah! It isn’t often I get cereal like this. Usually just crumbs from old loaves of bread or broken stale chips.” Patton didn’t say it with any scorn though, but like it was fact. Which, it was. He took another bite of the cereal.

  _Well that’s depressing_. Virgil thought to himself, watching Patton with a bit of pity. “Well, uh, I’m glad then.” Virgil reached his hand into his own bowl, taking out a handful of cereal to eat. “Take as much as you want then, really. I don’t mind.”

 Patton paused to analyze the look on Virgil’s face, but he was being completely sincere. Patton’s face broke out into a huge smile. “Thanks kiddo!” He took a few pieces and stuffed them into his bag. This would last him a good few days. He turned back to Virgil. “Really kiddo, thank you. This, uh, this really wasn’t how I was expecting this to go. But I’m glad I was wrong.”

 “Oh, you’re welcome?” Virgil wasn’t sure how else things could have gone. In fact they probably would have gone better if Patton had met someone else,  _someone who isn’t such a screw up_.

 Patton finished eating and packing up. He took a deep breath and turned back towards Virgil. This was the moment. “I think I should probably head out about now.” Patton said, watching to see what Virgil would do.

 “Oh…okay.” Virgil tried to hide his disappointment, knowing that Patton was going to leave sooner or later. He looked down at his cereal bowl. “Are you gonna…come back?”

 Patton was surprised by the question, even though he should have expected it. “I’m…not sure. I’m not supposed to.” Was the only answer he could really give.

 “…Cool.” Virgil didn’t know how else to respond. “I mean, you’re welcome to come back! But, only if you, y’know, want to.” Virgil looked up at Patton, nervously scuffing his foot along the ground. “But I get it, I guess. Kinda. Maybe not. Whatever. The point is, if this is goodbye- ah dang it, I suck at goodbyes.” Virgil groaned, rubbing his temple. “It was nice meeting you, Patton.”

 Patton smiled brightly. “It was really nice meeting you too kiddo!” He didn’t say anything more about coming back, because he couldn’t promise anything. But…he was definitely going to think about it. He went back to his hook and started to climb down. He rolled up his hook as soon as he made it to the floor and then walked to his exit on the opposite side. He turned around and waved at Virgil.

 “Bye!” He then went inside, heading back towards his home.

 Virgil watched Patton disappear into the wall. So, that’s what he meant earlier- Patton literally lived  _inside_  the walls. Weird. How long had he done that? Did that mean they were neighbors or something? Should Virgil have noticed earlier? Virgil turned back to his cereal, realizing he was no longer hungry. He left the bowls out to deal with later, slowly heading back to bed. Virgil couldn’t help but keep his eyes to the ground, foolishly hoping Patton was just going to appear again.

 Virgil flopped onto his bed, pulling out his phone. He tried to distract himself with things online, but it just wasn’t working like it had before. Virgil had too much on his mind. Did that really just happen?

 …And after all that, Virgil had forgotten his coffee too.


	10. Logan the fidget spinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan finally eats pizza, and Roman prepares to go out.

Roman’s eyes were glazing over as the lecture continued. He eyed the clock, there was still another ten minutes of class left. He let out a soft groan, not wanting to draw attention to himself, but still wanting to let out some frustration. This was his only class he had been forced to take because of some missed credits from his first year. And Roman  _hated_  it.

 He just had to get through another few minutes and then he was free to go home and free to talk and mess with Logan.

 Although…

 Who said that had to wait until he got home?

 Smirking, Roman leaned back and placed both hands in his pocket. He found Logan, curled up somewhere in the middle and poked him.

 Logan was actually enjoying the lecture. Though the pocket was not ideal, it did provide a sense of security and slight comfort. Logan listened to the human teacher as best he could, soaking in every ounce of knowledge he could despite having no context. He was always interested in learning new things. And it was certainly nice to have a break from Roman pestering him constantly.

 But as giant fingers began to prod him from both sides, Logan realized he had spoke too soon. He groaned and tried to ignore it, not wanting to be distracted. It was already difficult enough for him to hear from within the pocket. Wasn’t Roman supposed to be paying attention to this as well? Roman at least would get the chance to actually use this information whereas Logan would be lucky to ever stumble across it again.

 Roman continued to poke and prod for a moment, before finding Logan’s arm and giving it a gentle tug.

 Logan’s breath hitched, now giving Roman his full attention. He slowly tried to pull his arm back out from between Roman’s fingers.

 Roman smiled as he felt the ever slight struggle of Logan trying to get his arm back. He chuckled, but gave into Logan. Letting go of his arm. Instead, his other hand came up and started petting him. Starting at the top of his head and going down his back. All while his other hand continued to gently prod at his chest.

 Man, Logan was better than a fidget cube.

 Logan leaned to the side, trying to avoid the fingers. He knew Roman just wanted a reaction and he should be complacent to try and let Roman get bored, but Logan couldn’t sit still between the obnoxious pulling at his head and pushing at his chest. He ducked his head down, covering the back of his head with his arms in defense.

 Roman would have continued, but he finally took notice that the professor had stopped talking and the other students were packing up and leaving. Grinning, Roman stood and grabbed his bag. He kept one hand in the pocket, but it was kept at the edge.

 That had been his last class, which meant he could head on home. He walked out of the school, waving at a few of his peers before getting into his car. The hand that was still in the pocket wrapped around Logan and brought him out. Roman grinned smugly at him.

 “See. That wasn’t so bad right? And hey, no one saw you! Who would have thought.”

 Logan frowned up at Roman. He didn’t want to admit that he had actually enjoyed himself in class. Logan reached up a hand to fix his hair. “Just because we got lucky today does not mean it’s a safe idea.” Logan reminded him.

 “I mean, I disagree with you, but whatever.” Roman said, setting Logan down on the front seat. He pulled out of the school and made sure the radio remained off. He didn’t want a repeat of that morning.

 “I need to go shopping still, but for now we still have some pizza to eat. And if I remember correctly, you still haven’t had any.” Roman said, reaching over and poking him before his hand returned to the wheel.

 “It’s unhealthy to keep eating the same meal over and over again.” Logan said, not that he had much room to talk. Sometimes it was hard to get options when one was a borrower.

 “If I die by pizza then it will be an honorable death.” Roman said dramatically.

 “That’s irrational.” Logan rolled his eyes.

 “Try telling me that after you’ve actually had a slice.” Roman grinned, pulling into the parking lot of his complex. He scooped Logan up and paused for a moment, before asking, “Pocket or shoulder?”

 Logan had to pause as well, completely thrown off guard by the question. “…Pocket.” Logan chose, seeing as it was far safer and more concealed.

 Roman nodded and placed him back in his hoodie pocket before getting out and heading back up to his apartment. He was careful up the flight up stairs, holding a hand around Logan so he didn’t swing and move around. He made it to his apartment not two minutes later and immediately headed for the kitchen, dropping Logan off on the counter as he got the pizza and started heating it up.

 Logan looked around, finding himself once again on the familiar kitchen counter. He knew better now than to make a run for it when Roman was in the room, especially since Roman was now well aware of his intentions. Still, Logan couldn’t help himself from walking over to the edge and looking down.

 Roman glanced over to check on Logan, pausing when he saw how close to the edge he was. He quickly finished cutting up the slice of pizza and made his way back over to Logan. “What are you doing?” Roman asked as he set the plate down next to Logan.

 “I’m just looking around.” Logan huffed up at Roman, irritated that he was being put on the spot when for once he wasn’t doing anything to anger Roman specifically. “Is that forbidden as well now?”

 “Er, no.” Roman said. “Just…making sure.” Roman grabbed a slice of pizza, taking a bite. He motioned for Logan to do the same.

 Logan pulled out his utensil, taking his own sweet time making sure it was clean. The events of yesterday made the idea of pizza put a foul taste in his mouth, but his stomach demanded something and it would be stupid to refuse merely out of pride. So, Logan made his way over and began taking a chunk for himself.

 Roman was careful to watch Logan closely as he waited for Logan to  _finally_  try his favorite food.

 Logan held the piece aloft, bringing it closer to his mouth. He was about to take a bite when he saw Roman watching him. He paused, frowning up at the human. “What?”

 “Just waiting for you to try it.” Roman replied.

 Logan sighed, taking a bite and looking at Roman pointedly. He chewed and swallowed. “There, I hope you’re satisfied.”

 Roman blinked. “You didn’t even…how was it?” Roman asked, trying to get Logan’s reaction out of him.

 “It was fine.” Logan shrugged. “I’ve had pizza before, Roman.” And while this pizza was warmer than any he usually had, it still tasted the same.

 “Wait, really?” Well that was a little disappointing. But it also peaked Roman’s interest. “How? Where?”

 “Just…around.” Logan said vaguely, realizing that he was getting dangerously close to talking about the borrower profession. “On occasion I have found abandoned pizza pieces and been able to try some.”

 Roman raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by…abandoned pieces?” Did he mean he went through the trash? Crumbs of pizza on the ground?

 “I mean a part of the original pizza that’s been left behind.” Logan replied, knowing that’s not what Roman meant. “That’s what abandoned means, after all.”

 “Yeah, I know what abandoned means, thank you.” Roman deadpanned. “I mean like, what, do you dive in the trash for it?” If he did that was completely unsanitary and Roman was going to watch him to make sure he didn’t do it here. Not that he would need to anymore, now that Roman was providing all his food for him.

 “How barbaric.” Logan wrinkled his nose in disgust. Granted, on occasion Logan had gone borrowing in the trash, but only in cleaner trash piles and never for food. “No, I mean when humans beans have left pizza boxes out overnight and the food is still salvageable.”

 Roman blinked. That sounded a lot like… “So you… _steal_  pizza from human-wait did you say beans?” Roman shook his head, one thing at a time. “So…you’re a thief?”

 “From a human perspective, it could be labeled that way.” Logan always disliked the term ‘thief’, despite it being accurate. “But it’s not as though I took anything of value or in use. Often the box was set aside to be tossed in the morning.”  Logan, having eaten his fill, began packaging up some pizza for later, just in case.

 Roman hummed. “Well…at the very least you won’t have to do that anymore. Not with me providing everything for you.” Roman grinned and finished up his slice. He looked back at Logan just as he was once again packaging up the pizza.

 “Again. I’m not sure why you feel the need to package the pizza up. It would be better if I put it back in the fridge for you.”

 “I would rather have some food on hand, and this is all you have ‘provided’.” Logan put up air quotes to signify his annoyance. Roman purchased pizza once and expected Logan to be grateful for the leftovers. He put it away into his bag. “If you insist on sticking me in your pockets for long periods of time it would be wise to be able to feed myself.” Logan decided to give more human explanations for his actions, knowing it would be impossible to make Roman see things the borrower way.

 Roman hated to admit it, but Logan  _did_  have a good point. “Alright. I guess that’s fair.” Speaking of sticking Logan in a pocket, he really needed to get going soon, or he was going to be late.

 “Anyway, if you’re all done, we best be heading out.” Roman said, the only warning Logan had as he grabbed him.

 “Wait, what? Where are we going?” Logan squirmed in the grip, confused and a bit worried. The school day was over, as far as Logan knew.

 “I have to head to rehearsal for the play the town is putting on. I’m the lead.” Roman said pridefully. “And before you ask, no, I’m not leaving you here.”

 “And why not?” Logan couldn’t care less about this rehearsal thing. “If you’re going to be busy, it would make more sense to leave me here. This morning proved that it’s unsafe for me to be around you when you’re distracted.” Truthfully it was always unsafe for Logan to be around Roman at all, even if the human disagreed.

 “Because…I said so.” Roman said, rolling his eyes at the other things Logan said. “Besides, this will be much more entertaining than school. I might be busy, but you’ll have a lot to, er, listen to.” Roman explained, trying to talk up his rehearsal. He placed Logan in his front pocket and then pulled on his coat, though he made the choice to not zip it up.

 “Again, I don’t think listening to you and your colleagues belting showtunes is a great idea.” Logan tried to glare up at Roman from the shirt pocket, finding his view a bit blocked. “My ears are more sensitive to loud noises, as you’ve already learned. And what will happen when it is your turn to preform and I’m once again in your pocket? Are you attempting to make me go deaf?”

 Roman paused. Logan had a good point there. He pursed his lips, trying to think. “…You should be fine. If it gets to be too much for you, I’ll…leave or something.”  Roman shrugged and heading out to his car.

 “Are we going by too much for me by my standards?” Logan questioned him. “Because despite your blatant disregard for my opinions, it stands to reason I should have the opportunity to declare when it’s too much.”

 Roman didn’t answer him until he made it into the car. He took Logan out to face him. “Of course. And I don’t  _completely_  disregard your opinions, you just…you need to lighten up a little ya know? Anyway, yes, if it gets to be too much for you at any point just bang on my chest, okay?”

 Logan rolled his eyes at the implication that he needed to lighten up, but he nodded in understanding. At least he now had some semblance of control.


	11. Slip-ups, Stage lights and Starbucks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan lets a few secrets slip, Roman attends rehearsal, and Logan tries to escape. Again.

 Roman put Logan back in the passenger seat and started to drive. It was silent for a few moments, which Roman honestly couldn’t stand. So he broke it. “Did you get all your other stuff by taking it from humans as well?”

 “I didn’t take anything from humans.”  _Not directly, anyway._  Logan added silently to himself. “They were abandoned.”

 “Right…Also, I gotta ask. You called us human beans before? What was that about?”

 “That’s what you’re called.” Logan raised an eyebrow, looking up at Roman.

 “What we’re…oh, wait-wait, do you mean-?” Roman cut himself off with loud laughter. He couldn’t believe it.

 “What’s so funny?” Logan tilted his head.

 Roman waited until his laughter died down a bit, wiping a tear away. “We’re actually called human  _beings_. As in B-E-I-N-G-S. I think-I think you must have misheard it as  _beans_  which is hilarious in all honesty.”

 Logan frowned, feeling a bit mocked. “Well it certainly wasn’t  _me_  who misheard, it must have just been passed down between borrowers throughout the ages and therefore it’s  _become_  a genuine term for your kind over time.”

 Roman blinked, pausing at the new information Logan had just revealed. “Borrowers?”

 … _Uh oh._  Logan froze, quickly sealing his lips. He had gotten too caught up in the moment, too comfortable in the conversation and let it slip; all because he was embarrassed about a miscommunication several decades ago.

 “So,  _that’s_  what your kind is called.” Roman continued as he parked the car. He turned his full attention onto Logan, grinning. “Borrowers…” He said again, getting a feel for the name. “From what I learned about your habits of taking ‘abandoned’ things, the name kind of fits. Sort of.” I mean, he figured they hadn’t wanted to call themselves like, stealers or anything, even though that was technically what they were.

 Logan cringed, hating the word coming out of a human’s lips. How could he have been so forgetful?  Logan certainly wasn’t about to give away any more secrets if he could help it, instead turning away from Roman to give him the cold shoulder.

 Roman frowned. “Logan? Is something wrong?” He reached a hand out, grabbing Logan and bringing him up to his face.

 Logan wouldn’t look him in the eye, crossing his arms.

 Roman raised an eyebrow. “What? What happened?” Roman thought for a moment, before coming to a realization. “I’m guessing…I wasn’t supposed to find out about your kind’s name?”

 “Of course not!” Logan said exasperatedly, glaring up at Roman before looking away again.

 Roman winced slightly. “Well, it’s not like I’m going to tell anyone.” Except…maybe Virgil. He wasn’t sure yet. Logan didn’t need to know that though. “Why are you so secretive anyway? I’m sort of surprised no one has found a borrower before.”

 Of course, Logan knew of a few cases where borrowers had been found in the past, but rather than share this information with Roman he merely sat there, stubborn as ever.

 Roman frowned and was about to ask more questions, when a noise from outside alerted him. “Roman? What are you doing, rehearsal started five minutes ago! Come on!” Roman looked up to see Thomas waving at him near the front door. Roman lowered Logan but thankfully it seemed Thomas hadn’t spotted him. He gave a thumbs up and Thomas headed back inside.

 Roman looked back down at the borrower. “We’ll talk more about this later.” He said, sticking Logan back in his pocket and heading inside the theater.

 Logan sighed, sulking in the pocket with his arms crossed and trying to ease his own anxiety about Roman’s promise to talk about the matter further. He certainly wasn’t planning on willingly talking, but he had already slipped up once. What else would Roman be able to force out of him?

 Roman greeted his fellow classmates, chatting with a few of them until the director came and asked for everyone to get ready. Roman left to go into the dressing room, he was about to take off his shirt before remembering Logan was in his pocket. He couldn’t take Logan out of his pocket yet, not with the other male cast member changing, so he would have to wait.

 Thomas noticed him just standing there and raised an eyebrow at him. “Roman? Aren’t you gonna change?” Roman thought for a moment.

 “Oh, yes of course! But I just remembered I forgot my phone in my car, so I’ll be right back.” He walked out of the dressing room and back outside. Hopefully by the time he came back the others would be done changing.

 Logan was quiet, listening to the human voices fading in the distance. Was rehearsal over already? Was Roman going to leave just to question him early?

 Roman waited a few moment before going back inside. Thankfully, everyone was done changing and the dressing room was completely empty. He took Logan out of his pocket and set him on the nearby table before taking off his shirt.

 Logan turned around quickly, not wanting to watch Roman change. The situation was already humiliating enough as is for the borrower.

 Roman quickly changed into his Prince costume, looking at himself in the mirror before looking at Logan. “So, how do I look?” He asked, striking a quick pose.

 Logan rolled his eyes, deciding to not even humor Roman with a glance in his direction.

 Roman waited a moment, before realizing Logan wasn’t going to answer. “Well, fine.” He huffed, before scooping Logan up and placing him back in his pocket.

 Once he came out the director called for places. Roman found his place in the center of the stage and grinned to himself as the curtains raised up. He would never get tired of the feeling that came with performing.

 Once the spotlight was on him, the music started and he sang the first song of the musical.

 Logan could  _feel_  the attention on him- or rather, on Roman. A harsh light filtered into the pocket making Logan fear that he would cast a visible shadow on the human behind him. There was a rhythmic pounding coming from an outside source, and soon after Roman’s voice joined in. It was loud, but it was bearable. Logan also would rather suffer through a bit of overbearing music than draw any attention to himself in front of so many observing pairs of human eyes.

 Roman’s song ended and then a crowd of people joined him on stage, talking and chatting. He was pushed and shoved by a lot of them, all part of the play of course.

 Logan gasped, tumbling a bit in the pocket. What was Roman doing out there? What if someone bumped into him and felt Logan?

 The crowd slowly died down, the only ones on the stage now was Roman, Thomas, and two more cast members. Roman went over to them and started chatting with them. The chatting slowly turned to singing as music in the background picked up. Roman belted out his parts as the other three sang along with him.

 Logan cringed, putting his hands to his ears. This was getting hard to withstand.

 The song picked up and Roman grabbed Thomas, swinging around with him and dancing at a quick pace. Roman let go and ran towards off stage before the music cut off and someone knocked him to the ground. Roman landed on his back with a huff.

 Logan felt himself go into freefall for a moment before falling onto Roman’s chest with a painful  _thud_ , almost tumbling out of the pocket. Logan groaned before crawling back towards the bottom of the pocket, not wanting to be seen. He cradled his own chest, feeling more bruises forming overtop his original ones. He had had enough, and found himself no longer caring for secrecy so long as he could get out of this chaotic, dangerous environment. So, Logan raised his fist and began to pound on Roman’s chest beneath him.

 As Roman got back up, he felt the small tapping on his chest. Which meant Logan couldn’t handle it anymore. Biting his lip, Roman decided to keep his promise.

 “Sorry! I need to go to the bathroom!” He said, making everyone pause. He left before the director could say anything. It was completely unprofessional and he couldn’t make a habit of it, but doing it just this once shouldn’t be too bad.

 He closed the door behind him and took Logan out. “Are you alright?”

 “NO!” Logan shouted up at him, before remembering where he was. He quickly looked around, grateful not to see any other humans. “What made you think that would be an acceptable environment for someone of my stature?” He winced, once again grabbing at his chest. “I could have easily been seen, it was far too loud  _again_  despite already addressing those concerns earlier today, and I was injured due to your sporadic movements.”

 Roman’s eyes widened before furrowing in concern. “Injured?” He noticed Logan grabbing his chest and carefully went to lift his shirt up to see.

 “Stop it!” Logan pulled his shirt down and backed away from Roman’s fingers as best he could. “You’re only going to aggravate the injuries and make it worse.”

 Roman was simply going to ignore Logan and continue, but there was a knock on the door. “Come on Roman! The director is waiting on you!” He heard Thomas yell. He was thankful he hadn’t just come in.

 “I’ll be right out!” He let go of Logan’s shirt and looked for somewhere to put him. There was plenty of trash and things and thankfully Roman found an empty, pretty clean venti Starbucks cup. Perfect.

 He placed Logan down in the corner and then placed the cup on top of him. He though for a moment, before putting one of his other castmates books on top of it. He didn’t want Logan escaping after all.

 “There we go, you should be well hidden over here. And just in case.” Roman reached over and placed a discarded shirt in front of the cup to block it slightly from view. “Perfect.”

 Logan raised an eyebrow, not having any idea what his hiding place looked like from the outside. It certainly wasn’t pretty from the inside. He felt a drop of liquid fall on his head, and looked up to see a slight bit of residue coffee dripping from above. Lovely.

 “Well, I’ll be back in about two hours.” And with that, Roman went back to join the rest of the cast.

 Logan paused a moment, waiting to make sure Roman was gone, before he sprung into action. He gave the side of the cup an experimental shove, not surprised when it didn’t budge. Instead Logan bent down near the back of the cup. He reached into his bag, pulling out his eating utensil. Truthfully, it was not his sharpest blade, but it would work in a pinch. Logan began to scrape away at the thick plastic, intent on breaking through the layers and creating a hole to escape.

 Now, Logan had to pause for a moment to evaluate if it would be better to stay or go. Usually Logan would chose a known evil over the unknown. He knew nothing about this building or the habits of the humans residing within. It was possible there was no food source here and he would spend days or weeks trying to find an acceptable place to set up new living accommodations. Not to mention he would completely have to kiss his previous home goodbye, likely giving up any chance of seeing Patton again.

 But despite all that, Logan knew he couldn’t pass up this chance. It was imperative he got away from Roman, not only for his own safety but for the wellbeing of all borrowers. Logan couldn’t risk any more secrets slipping from his lips.

 So, with a determined face, Logan continued his scraping with renewed vigor.


	12. Soft bois have dinner!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton, still curious about the strange human, returns to check how Virgil is doing.

Virgil sat in the same position on his bed as he had that morning, the abandoned coffee cup on his nightstand being the only indicator he had gotten up at all. His headphones were in, listening to some music with his eyes closed while he tried not to think about how unproductive he had been all day.

 Patton was watching Virgil through the upper vent with a concerned frown. After Virgil had let him go, he couldn’t help but be curious about the human. He defied all the stories he had been told, all the warnings given to him throughout his years.

 Virgil had helped him, not hurt him, fed him and then, most importantly,  _let him go._  So Patton found himself coming back only a few short hours later. He was confused and a bit concerned, to see Virgil in bed. It wasn’t even that late. The human should have been up for a few more hours at least.

 Patton stepped away from the vent cover and traveled down and around, back into the walls and out into Virgil’s room. He started climbing the nightstand, intent on checking up on the kiddo.

 Once he made it to the top, he peered over at the human. He didn’t seem sick…a little pale maybe, but other than that…

 But if he wasn’t sick, why was the human in bed so early?

 Patton decided to get a closer look.

 He took a running jump onto the bed, pausing to catch his balance. He bit his lip, wondering if climbing onto the human’s chest was worth the risk of waking him up. Though…was it really a risk if Virgil  _did_ wake up? Patton still wasn’t completely sure, but he wanted to believe the answer to that was no.

 So, Patton gripped the folds of fabric and started to climb.

 Virgil froze, feeling something. Was it another spider? Virgil opened his eyes, looking down and getting ready to swipe whatever the heck it was off him  _immediately_ … until he realized it was the little guy from earlier.

 …Huh, Virgil had almost written him off as some strange pre-coffee daydream.

 Virgil was immensely glad he checked before he had hit Patton off him. He couldn’t imagine hurting the dude like that, even accidentally. It made him tense up, trying to get the images out of his head.

 “Patton?” Virgil said quietly, not wanting to startle him.

 The sudden sound of his name, made Patton lose his grip and fall back down to the bed. He quickly sat up. “Virgil?” Had he woken the human or had the human already been awake?

 Virgil winced when Patton fell, but it looked like he was okay. “What were you… doing?” Virgil asked, glancing down at his shirt and wondering why the heck Patton had been on his chest. Virgil thought he’d never see him again.

 “I just wanted to check up on ya kiddo! I’m concerned on why you were in bed so early. Don’t humans usually go to bed closer to when the sun goes down?” Patton explained and asked.

 “Uh…yeah.” Virgil was thrown off by Patton’s concern.  _No one cares about you._ He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I mean, today wasn’t one of my better days, but sometimes I just stick around here for a while just thinking.”  _Thinking about how pathetic and useless you are, you did nothing today and now even the mystical creature in your walls is calling you out for it because it’s weird and stupid._

 Patton couldn’t help but be a bit more concerned. “Did you want to talk about it?”

 “No, it’s fine.” Virgil shrugged, not wanting to burden Patton but finding the words slipping from his lips before he could stop them. “I just…sometimes it sucks because I just feel like doing nothing but then my brain kinda-” Virgil waved his hands around his head, gesturing to his brain. “-yells at me for doing nothing but then i’m still doing nothing and I end up sitting here just feeling miserable. But it’s nothing I can’t handle, it just happens sometimes.”

 Patton couldn’t help but stare at Virgil with wide eyes, that just sounded so…sad. “Kiddo…” He wasn’t sure how to help with this though. What could he do?

 “I’m…so sorry that happens kiddo.” Patton said, rubbing the back of his neck.

 “Really, it’s fine.” Virgil cringed, not liking people pitying him.

 Patton wasn’t quite sure what to say. He fidgeted a little bit before coming to the conclusion that the best thing to do would be to distract Virgil from his own thoughts and maybe even get him to get out of bed.

 “Hey! Have you had dinner yet?”

 “Uh, no not yet.” Virgil chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. The last time he had eaten was this morning with Patton. He often found himself skipping meals out of laziness. Though now that Patton brought it up, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Maybe the little guy would even join him again.  “…Have you?”

 “Nope! Haven’t gotten the chance to yet.” Patton said, grinning when he realized where Virgil was going with this.

 “Well, then you could join me if you want.” Virgil offered. “I mean, I dunno what I’m gonna eat either, but…” He trailed off, trying to think if there was anything besides cereal left in his cupboard.

 “That sounds great kiddo!” Patton was glad Virgil well meaning plan. He was sure that if he hadn’t come, Virgil would have skipped dinner completely and stayed in bed. This way, they could both eat!

 “Alright, cool!” Virgil was now a bit excited for dinner. Although he hoped Patton wouldn’t be too disappointed with whatever stale food was left in his cupboard.

 Virgil went to stand up, only to freeze as he looked down at Patton. He didn’t want to jostle the little guy. Also, what was the protocol for this? Should he let Patton walk to the kitchen again? But it seemed rude to make him walk all that way… or would it be even more rude to carry him?

 “Do you, um… do you want me to give you a lift or something?” Virgil offered, trying to make it sound like a casual thing.

 Even though he sort of expected this, Patton was still taken aback by the offer. Of course, it would be faster to let Virgil carry him…but despite having come back and talking to the human, he couldn’t ignore the fact that he was still scared. Maybe not of Virgil, but definitely of his size. “Oh, uh, sure kiddo! Thank you.”

 “Yeah, no problem.” Virgil set his hand next to Patton, trying to not feel nervous about holding him again.

 Patton couldn’t help but flinch back when the hand lowered in front of him. He remembers being in that hand that morning, of course it was to save his life, but it was no less scary. Patton took a deep breath. As far as he was concerned, Virgil had earned his trust, so the least he could do was fight his instincts to get away and hide.

 He stepped forward and then climbed up and onto the hand. He moved towards the middle, swaying slightly before taking a seat. He looked up towards Virgil and gave him a thumbs up.

 Virgil took a steadying breath, easing himself off the bed very slowly to try and keep his balance without his hands. He held Patton closer to his chest for stability, using both hands to keep the tiny guy safe. Once he felt more or less confident that this was how it should be done, Virgil walked to the kitchen and deposited Patton on the same counter as before.

  _There, simple._  Virgil let out a breath of relief. He dug through the freezer, finding a slightly freezer burnt frozen pizza. Deciding this was probably the best that could be found, Virgil set it on the table and began preheating the oven.

 Patton, as he was set back down, realized the ride hadn’t been that bad. Not nearly as frightening as he first thought. Noticing the box Virgil was taking out, he walked over to it, trying to read what it said. He wasn’t as good of a reader as Logan, but context clues allowed him to figure the rest out.

 “Oh! We’re having pizza!”

 “Yeah, it’s not the best but it’s food.” Virgil shrugged. “It’s better when it’s hot and from an actual place, but ordering pizza… well, I usually make Roman do that. I’m not exactly a people person.” Hearing the oven beep, Virgil put the pizza on a tray and into the oven.

 “I haven’t tried hot pizza before, but I remember once Logan and I found some pizza left out and we got to try some and it was so good!” Patton said excitedly, not even realizing what he was revealing.

 “Who’s Logan?” Virgil asked, now curious. If they were a friend of Patton’s, did that mean they were tiny too? Or was it another human that Patton knew?

 Patton froze. He hadn’t meant to reveal Logan’s existence and by extension others of his kind, but…Patton wasn’t as panicked as he thought he might be. In fact, Patton didn’t see any trouble in telling Virgil. The human had earned his trust after all.

 “Oh, Logan’s my friend. He’s a borrower like me!” Patton said, grinning and pointing to himself. He knew he was going against the rules, but Virgil deserved to know.

 “Oh, cool.” Virgil tried out that term in his head.  _Borrower._  That must be the name for tiny people. And there was another one! Virgil really wanted to meet Patton’s friend, but he tried not to get too excited. Logan would probably scared of him, just like Patton was with the spider web. But Patton didn’t seem so scared now.  _Or he’s just really good at hiding it._  Virgil winced at this thought, not wanting to think about his possible new friend being terrified of his presence. It’s not like he could change his size if he wanted to.

 “So, uh, what did you do all day?” Virgil asked, trying to change the subject and distract from his train of thought.

 “Well, I went back home after I left here. Then I went to see Logan, but he wasn’t home, so I decided to just take a walk and well, I ended up here!” Patton explained. Overall a normal day except for earlier that morning. And the fact that Logan was usually home, but it wasn’t too rare that Patton would catch him when he was out.

 “Oh, so do you usually hang out with Logan like, every day?” Virgil asked, still unbelievably curious to know more about this other borrower and borrowers in general but not wanting to come off as pestering Patton with questions.

 “For the most part, yeah! We go borrowing a lot together too. It’s just easier when there are two of us, ya know?”

 “Uh, yeah.” Virgil nodded as if he understood, but he was a bit confused. “…What’s borrowing?”

 Oh right, Virgil wouldn’t know what that was. “Well, it’s when we go out and find stuff to help us survive. Like food or this hook I made out of a paperclip and string.” Patton said, taking out said hook and showing it off.

 Virgil leaned down to get a better look at what was in Patton’s hands. It was exactly as the borrower had described. “Huh. That’s really neat, Patton.”  _Neat? Who even says neat anymore?_

 “Thanks!” Patton said, swelling up with pride. “But yeah, borrowing is taking things humans won’t miss to use to our own advantage and survive.” Patton finished saying while he put his hook away.

 “So… that’s why you’re called borrowers?” Virgil guessed, standing back up.

 “You’ve got it kiddo!” Patton exclaimed.

 “Makes sense.” Virgil gave a small grin, appreciating the name. The oven beeped again, letting him know pizza was done. Virgil used an oven mitt and took out the tray, setting it on the stove top to cool. “Do you just spend all of your time borrowing then?”

 “Well, I borrow, hang out with Logan, sew and make supplies at home and go on walks.” Patton shrugged and grinned. “That usually fills up the entire day and then I head on to bed.”

 “Sounds…fun?” It didn’t sound like much, but Virgil wasn’t one to judge. All he did was go to class and go to sleep. Besides, Patton seemed happy. Maybe borrowing was less work and more play. Virgil kind of doubted that, though.

 Virgil tested the pizza, deeming it cool enough to touch when his finger wasn’t burnt. He cut it up into slices, glancing at Patton. “Uh…” Virgil set a slice on a plate in front of Patton, noting how it was about the size of Patton himself. “I can cut it up if you’d like.”

 “It’s okay, I got it.” Patton said, already taking out his sharp edge and heading towards the pizza. He took a seat at the edge of the plate and cut a small piece off of the pizza before taking a bite. His face lit up. “This is amazing!” The warmth of the pizza was engulfing his insides like nothing else ever had and he loved it.

 _It’s really not._  Virgil disagreed, but he smiled at Patton’s enthusiasm. “I’m glad you like it.” Virgil took a slice for himself, tasting the crust with a cardboard texture.

 “Thank you so much for this Virgil.” Patton said. It might have sounded more sincere of his mouth hadn’t been full.

 “Yeah, no problem.” Virgil assured him. “I mean… I get the whole borrowing thing, and it’s fine if you want to do that, but also if you need any help I could get you stuff…” Virgil rubbed his neck, not wanting Patton to think he thought the borrower was incapable or something. “Of course, only if you wanted! Just as extra help.”

 Patton’s eyes shined. “That…That would be awesome kiddo!” Patton jumped up. “I don’t need too much help…but if I really need something I know I can count on you now!” Patton briefly wondered how Logan was going to react to all of this.

 Patton winced and pushed the thought away. He would deal with that later. Besides, he was sure once he explained everything and introduced Logan to Virgil, he would see that he was trustworthy as well.

 Hopefully.

 “So, what do you wanna do now?” Patton asked, already done eating even though he had barely dented the huge slice of pizza. He was still pretty full from that morning.

 Virgil paused, having not thought this far ahead. “Uuuuh…” His plans for the evening had just involved sitting in bed on his phone more. He wanted to hang out with Patton, but what could they do with their size difference that Patton would still enjoy? He had already asked Patton what he liked to do, but it wasn’t like Virgil could go borrowing with him or invite Logan over to appease Patton. Well, he could, but it’d be rude to just use Patton to meet more borrowers. Virgil didn’t want Patton to feel neglected.

 No, there had to be something around here he could do with Patton. He glanced around the apartment. “How about some tv?”

 “TV…Oh! Is that the thing humans watch stuff on? If so, then yes!”

 “Yeah, that’s it.” Virgil smirked. He put his hand down next to Patton again, wanting to carry the borrower over to the couch.

 Patton got on with less hesitation this time and sat down like before. Excited to actually be watching some TV. He had seen it in passing and had definitely heard it, but it was too dangerous to stick around and try to actually watch it. Now, he wouldn’t have that problem.

 Virgil carefully made his way over to the couch, setting Patton down on one couch cushion and then sitting down on the opposite end of the couch to give Patton enough space. He picked up the remote, now anxious about picking a good show. What if Patton didn’t like it?

 “This, well, it kinda seems up your alley, Patton.” Virgil explained, putting on Steven Universe. He hoped Patton didn’t get offended by that. He just seemed really bubbly, as though he’d enjoy watching a kids show. And it was a good show! But… maybe it was a tad offensive to assume the tiny guy would like a show made for children.

 But already Patton was entranced by the colors and the singing on the screen. He settled in and watched the colorful show with wide, awe filled eyes.


	13. A close call with the cast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are a lot of humans at a rehearsal, and it only makes Logan's escape attempt that much more difficult.

 After two hours, the cast was allowed a small break to eat and recuperate. Roman was glad the theater always provided food for all of them, it would have been a hassle having to go and get it, especially with Logan with him. He entered the dressing room first, followed quickly by Thomas and some other cast members. He waited until they all left to kneel down in the corner of the room where he had left Logan.

 He lifted the cup up, smiling. “Hey, you hungry?”

 Logan frowned, having quickly hid his tool back in his bag when he heard the humans enter. He was at least grateful that Roman didn’t have the foresight to look at the cup and see Logan’s progress thus far. “We ate just before we arrived, why on earth would I need sustenance again so soon?”

 “I don’t know. I’m not that hungry either, but I’m still going to get a snack.” Roman shrugged. He reached down and grabbed Logan before standing up. “I figured you’d want a little time out of the cup, so you’re coming with.”

 “How gracious of you.” Logan said sarcastically. Little did Roman know that’s the exact opposite of what he wanted right now.

 Roman rolled his eyes and placed Logan in his pocket before heading out towards where a table of food was set out. He grabbed a muffin and started eating it, heading over towards a couple of castmates and talking with them.

 He so wished he could bring Logan out and show him to them. But he knew Logan wouldn’t like that. Still…Roman was having thoughts about showing Logan to Virgil. He wasn’t planning on  _telling_  this to Logan, of course. He would most likely freak out. But it wasn’t like Virgil would go blabbering about the borrower. He barely even went outside, after all.

 He shook the thought away, deciding to deal with it later. He talked to his friends until the director said their break was over. He once again waited until everyone had gone in and out of the dressing room before going in himself and kneeling down back in the corner. He took Logan out and set him on the floor.

 Logan took a moment to find his balance again, turning around to look up at Roman with crossed arms. He tried to look peeved about what was to come, when in reality he just wanted to get back to it as soon as possible.

 “Welp, see you in another three hours or so.” Roman said, before placing the cup, along with the book, back on top of him. He pushed the sweatshirt back up against it and then left the dressing room to continue with rehearsal.

 “You wish.” Logan muttered under his breath, pulling out his tool and returning to the severe dent in the cup. He was  _so close_. Within the hour he would be free at last. Free to… well, he wasn’t quite sure yet. He’d have to scope out the area and find a new, safer place to hide where Roman couldn’t reach him. But nevertheless, he’d be free.

***

 “Excellent.” Logan said quietly in celebration, a grin stretching across his face as the plastic finally came loose in a chunk big enough for the borrower to fit his entire body through. Logan carefully squeezed through the gap, trying to stay focused in his excitement.

 Thomas walked into the dressing room, needing to take a quick break and grab his water. He walked in and looked around for his bottle of water.

 Just as Logan got free of the cup, a set of thundering human footsteps shook the ground. Logan’s head whipped around to watch an unknown human enter the dressing room and walk over to the table. Logan dove towards the sweatshirt nearby, tucking himself away so as not to be seen. It was by far a terrible choice of hiding places, but Logan was out of options.

 Thomas frowned when he didn’t see his water, before suddenly realizing he must have left it in his car. He sighed and patted himself down for his keys. He stopped once he realized he was wearing his costume. His keys were still in his sweatshirt.

 Now where  _was_  his sweatshirt?

 He could have sworn he left it on one of the chairs, but it was nowhere to be seen. Of course, it wasn’t uncommon for clothes to be misplaced in the changing room, which led his eyes to be moved to the floor.

 He spotted the red sweatshirt in the corner of the room, near what appeared to be an empty Starbucks cup. Frowning, he started walking over towards it.

 Logan felt the footsteps coming closer, and he couldn’t help but tremble.  _No, go away!_  He yelled at the human in his mind.  _Go anywhere else!_

 Thomas paused when he noticed something off about his jacket. A small part of it was…shaking? He kneeled down next to it, noticing that where it was shaking was a small weird lump. He reached out a hand and poked it gently.

 Logan flinched away from the touch, realizing he was once again trapped. He hadn’t escaped at all. Any moment now the sweatshirt would be lifted and Logan would merely have traded captors.

 Thomas grabbed the edge of the sweatshirt and was about to lift it up when suddenly the door swung open and in came Roman.

 Roman’s smile quickly turned to a frown once he realized how close Thomas was to where Logan was hiding. Panicked, he forced a smile and went over to Thomas.

 “Ah! Thomas, what are you doing? The director was looking for you.” Roman said, lifting Thomas up rather forcefully. Thomas winced slightly and how hard Roman had tugged him and found his way out of his grip.

 “I was just here to grab my sweatshirt for my keys-” Roman cut him off by grabbing the sweatshirt off of the floor and handing it to Thomas.

 “Well, there you are. You can go now.” Roman said and then proceeded to push Thomas towards the door. Roman snuck a glance towards the floor, only to see Logan there, outside of the cup. Eyes widening, he doubled his efforts and finally managed to get Thomas out of the room.

 “Roman, wait-!”

 “I’ll be out soon Thomas!” Roman cut him off once again and then shut the door the in his face. Roman sighed and then wasted no time in kneeling down in front of Logan.

 “Logan! How did you get out?” He asked.

 Logan froze, heart still racing as he looked up at the human bean he wanted to see the least. Even that new Thomas fellow would have been better. At least then the human might not catch on to his escape attempts so quickly.

 “Uh…” Logan scrambled to come up with an excuse. “T-that other bean found me.”

 “Wait, he did?” Roman blinked in surprise. “Like, actually saw you?”

 Logan debated the pros and cons of either answer quickly in his head. “…Y-Yes.” He said with a slow nod, trying to act as though he was solely the victim here.

 Roman grinned. “Oh, well that isn’t too bad! Thomas is a great guy! Now I feel bad for kicking him out…Ah well, let’s go find him and properly introduce you guys!” Roman exclaimed, snagging Logan in a fist and standing up.

 … _Wait_. Logan cringed, now not sure what would be worse. Two humans were certainly worse than one, but Logan did not want to see Roman angry again. His mind flashed back to the bruises dotting across his skin, and with a wince Logan kept his mouth shut.

 But wait, what if the other human sold him out? Then Logan would be caught in his lie, with two angry humans.

 “Stop!” Logan called out, squeezing his eyes shut. “Roman, don’t!”

 Roman froze, staring down at Logan with raised eyebrows. “What? What’s the matter?”

 “I don’t  _want_  to meet another human!” Logan insisted. “With any luck if I can avoid him he’ll just think I was a figment of his imagination.”

 “But you said he saw you. Like,  _full on_  saw you. I don’t think he’s simply going to write you off as a figment.” Roman countered.

 “Humans see all sorts of things through sleep deprivation, hallucinations or merely imagination.” Logan countered right back. “The less contact I have with him, the higher chance of success in fooling the human eye. Please Roman, this is the one thing I request of you.”

 Roman hummed. “But what if he speaks of you. Tells other what he saw. If I properly introduce the two of you, we can make sure he doesn’t tell anyone.” Roman argued, knowing Logan didn’t want a whole mass of people knowing about him and playing on that.

 “Even if we were to approach him, we have no way of guaranteeing he’ll keep silent.” Logan pointed out. “Instead it would be best for this to die out of natural causes. If he were to speak up about my existence now, chances are no one will believe his tale since he lacks any… ‘proof.’” Logan cringed at the thought. “After being surrounded by disbelief, he will slowly begin to doubt himself as well until it fades from his memory completely. If you bring me to him, however, his belief will be stronger and it’s possible he’ll be even  _more_  vocal and persistent when talking to his other friends.”

 “I really don’t think Thomas would tell anyone either way…” Roman admitted, but sighed. “But fine, if you do not want to meet him, I won’t force you.” He’d rather show him to Virgil anyway. He walked back over to the corner and kneeled down. His eyes started to scan for the cup, but was confused when he saw it in the same place where he had left it. With the book on top of it and everything.

 “I thought you said Thomas moved the cup and found you?” Roman said and as he lifted up the cup, he saw the tear in it. He looked down at Logan with a raised eyebrow.

 “Mind explaining how this you-sized hole got here?” Roman asked.

 Logan paled. He had gotten so far with his lie that he had dared to hope Roman wouldn’t notice. Logan was certainly not going to tell Roman the truth and risk taking his only possible tool of escape away. “…I…I couldn’t stand being enclosed again.” Logan said, remembering last night when he had loathed the confines of the drawer. It seemed he was only claustrophobic when there was no means of escape and the feelings of despair became as suffocating as his surroundings.

 Roman bit his lip. He felt bad about forgetting Logan’s claustrophobia, but he was sure that was not the main reason for him trying to get out.

 “You were trying to escape. Thomas didn’t even find you, did he? You lied.”

 “I didn’t lie!” Logan hissed through clenched teeth, now lying about lying. “Yes, I escaped the cup alone. But it’s also entirely possible that Thomas did see me, or a part of me, and I wouldn’t know because I was currently trying to conceal myself from his presence. Yet before I was revealed fully, it’s true that you entered the room and ushered him out.”

 Roman hummed. He could tell Logan was telling the truth this time around. But now Roman was caught up on just how Logan had managed to get out from underneath the cup. He sighed. They technically still had an hour or two left of rehearsal, but…

 Roman stood up and silently pocketed Logan before grabbing his stuff and heading out. He stopped near the director and told him he needed to head home earlier for a bit of a personal emergency. The director didn’t like it, but he let Roman go after he promised it wouldn’t happen again.

 He threw his regular clothes in the passenger seat of his car and started it up. He didn’t bother taking Logan out of his pocket as he started on the drive home.


	14. One small step for Logan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things begin to look up for the borrower when Roman starts to listen.

When Logan was put into the pocket without a response, he began to worry that Roman was going to keep him in there whilst on stage again. But when Logan listened to Roman explaining he had to leave early, followed by the familiar roar of the car engine, he began to worry. Was Roman so irritated with him that he decided to end rehearsal early in favor of somehow… _punishing_  Logan? The fact that Roman didn’t take him out to explain in the privacy of the car either only made Logan’s anxiety heighten.

 Roman grabbed his clothes once he was home and walked up to his apartment. He entered his home and headed straight for his room. Fishing Logan out of his pocket, he set him down on the desk before popping into his closet to quickly change into some PJs. He was out in half a minute and then took a seat at the desk. With elbows on the table and his hands under his chin, he stared down at Logan.

 Logan backed up a few steps, thrown off by Roman’s behavior. Usually he was much too loud, but ever since leaving rehearsal the human had been chillingly quiet. “…What?” Logan finally asked, hating this silence full of fearful anticipation. 

 Roman sighed when he saw the fear in Logan’s features and dropped his hands onto the desk. “What do you think I’m going to do to you?” Roman asked. He hated the fear Logan was showing him, despite his best efforts to show Logan he meant no harm. Or…did his teasing come off a different way?

 Logan paused, not sure how in-depth he should go for fear of giving the human ideas. “Well…you left your rehearsal early to deal with me, I’d assume you want to in some way… _correct_  me for causing a disturbance in your schedule.” His hands gripped his bag’s strap tightly, his nervous energy being channeled into his hands while he fought to look collected as ever.

 Roman deflated at that, a sad look overtaking his face. “Logan, I’ll admit I was a bit…frustrated about earlier. But the main reason I left was because I didn’t see anywhere else to put you that would make you comfortable.” Or keep him from escaping, but Roman didn’t say that part aloud. “…Do you really think I am going to hurt you?”

 Logan raised an eyebrow, now beginning to feel his usual fiery rage returning as his bruises flared up. “Yes!” Logan said exasperatedly. “I am constantly sore from your manhandlings, and that’s merely your subconscious movements. There’s no reason for me  _not_  to fear any intentional harm from you, especially given the fact I’m still battered and bruised from yesterday when you insisted on tossing me about like a ragdoll!”

 Roman flinched back at Logan’s sudden outburst and as he listened to what he had to say, he only deflated more. Had he really already hurt him so much that he  _bruised_  him. “I…I did not know, I…” Roman ran a hand through his hair.

 “I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was simply teasing!” Roman exclaimed.

 “It doesn’t matter!” Logan shook his head. No matter what happened, Roman never seemed to understand. “Every action of yours is magnified when it comes to its effect on me. Your intentions are irrelevant.”

 “…I’m sorry.” Roman said, bowing his head. “Is there anything I can do to make it up?”

 Logan paused, shocked to hear a human apologizing to him. This was his chance. If he just played his cards right…

 “You could let me go home.” Logan offered, standing up straight with his arms crossed.

 Roman’s eyes widened. “What? No, no anything but that. I’ve already told you why it’s best for you to stay with me, even…even with the mistakes I made, it is still safer to stay here with me.” That and Roman couldn’t lose Logan. Because he knew if he let Logan go he would never come back.

 Logan rolled his eyes, but he had expected as such. “Fine. Then I request two things: first, return all my belongings you’ve confiscated.”

 Roman opened his mouth to protest before pausing and shutting it. The reason he took the tools away from Logan in the first place was so he couldn’t try to escape, but…with how much Roman paid attention, it was near impossible any of them would succeed. So, honestly, he supposed there was no real harm in giving them back to him.

 “Alright. And the second thing?”

 Logan took a moment to collect his thoughts, trying to figure out how to best phrase this to actually have an effect on Roman. “If you truly intend on making this a safe place for me to stay, you’re going to have to listen to me more. It’s clear you don’t know your own strength; meanwhile, I’m the one feeling it firsthand. I know my limits, you don’t. I know what’s safe and what’s not. Clear?”

 Roman nodded, seeing Logan’s point. If he really didn’t want to hurt Logan anymore, he would have to listen when Logan told him to stop. “That’s fair.” He said. “I promise to try and listen to you more.”

 “No, not try,  _do_.” Logan pointed an accusing finger at Roman. “I don’t want to stick around here if I’m going to be at the mercy of your careless mistakes because you didn’t put in enough effort.”

 “Alright, alright.” Roman said, putting his hands up. “I promise to listen to you, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.” He went ahead and crossed his heart for good measure.

 “Excellent.” Logan nodded, giving him a small smile and returning his arms to his sides. In reality, Logan knew Roman was bound to slip up. But with his tools in hand, Logan planned to be long gone before that happened. This was really just to make the next few days a bit more pleasant for the borrower until his chance to escape revealed itself.

 Roman smiled back at Logan. “So, uh…does that mean you forgive me?” Roman asked, a bit hesitant.

 Logan looked down at his own hands. “Strange, it seems my tools are still missing.” Logan said as way of response.

 Roman rolled his eyes before standing up and quickly making his way to the kitchen to get Logan’s tools. He came back and dumped the tools in front of Logan. “There. Now do you forgive me?”

 Logan bent down, inspecting them all for any damages. He began placing the objects back in their intended position in his bag, glad to have it back in order once more. Turning to his most prized possession, Logan carefully bent his hook back to the perfect angle before looping the string and attaching it back to his belt. Oh, how he had missed it.

 “I suppose so, for now.” Logan nodded, looking up at Roman. “Although only time will tell if you’ll keep your word.”

 “Like I said, I will do my best.” Roman said, before sighing with relief. He was glad to finally put this whole conversation behind them.

 “Alright, so I was thinking, I’m still very curious to know more about you and other borrowers. Care to share?” Roman asked, smiling.

 Any trace of a smile was instantly wiped from Logan’s face as he remembered his slip of the tongue earlier in the day. He crossed his arms, turning to the side. “No.”

 Roman pouted. “But why not?”

 “Because I said so.” Logan insisted.

 Roman groaned in frustration, knowing he wasn’t going to get anything out of Logan like that. He had to try a different tactic. “Well, at least answer, like, is there anything you can’t eat? Like, do borrowers have some sort of strict diet. I just want to make sure I’m not unknowingly poisoning you.”

 “If you ever offer me something I’m incapable of ingesting I’ll be sure to let you know.” Logan assured him. “And I’ll simply refuse to consume it.”

 Roman sighed, but knew Logan wouldn’t answer anything even related to borrowers, at least not tonight. And not like this, with him just straight up asking. He’d have to think of something else for later on.

 “Well, if you don’t want to answer any questions, what do  _you_  suggest we do?” It was still quite a bit before they had to go to bed, so they had time.

 Logan paused, once again thrown off by Roman’s question. He hadn’t expected to get an opinion. Truthfully he didn’t want to do anything with Roman. All he wanted to do was be left alone long enough to get out of here for good. But of course, Roman wouldn’t just let him do that. No, Logan would need a cover to disguise his motives.

 “How about hide and seek?” Logan suggested, remembering he had suggested it before but had been turned down.

 Roman winced at the suggestion. “Uh, I don’t think that’s such a great idea.”

 “Why?” Logan argued. “Yesterday you were… _very_  eager to test my ability to be independent.” Logan winced at the memory. “Yet I pointed out that my skill set is more focused in agility and stealth. Regardless, you seem to be out of ideas. Unless you have any objections of substance I think it would be a fine way to pass the time.”

 Well, Roman wasn’t very well going to bring up the fact that he could escape if they played. Logan would just deny it. “You could get hurt and I thought that was something we were trying to avoid.”

 “Nonsense, the point of the exercise is to demonstrate how I can keep myself out of harm’s way when left to my own devices.” Logan reminded him.

 “I just…don’t feel very comfortable with you on the ground and me not knowing where you are.”

 “I’m not going to be out in the open.” Logan assured him. “Just watch where you step and I’ll be fine! Besides, if it eases your mind I’ll even limit myself to keeping off the ground. Now that I have my hook back it’ll be no trouble at all.” Logan gave the tool a tap with his hand, smiling reassuringly at Roman.

 Roman couldn’t help himself, considering he was getting nowhere, and groaned. “Okay, look, we both know the  _real_  reason why you want to do this.” Roman said, laying it out in the open. “And if I could trust you enough to stay then I would do it, but I don’t.”

 Logan frowned. Roman was onto him. Playing dumb wouldn’t get him anywhere anymore. “Look, Roman, I understand why you might have hesitations due to my past actions. But if I’m expected to trust your word, then you should be expected to trust mine.”

 Roman shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I just-I can’t.”

 “Can’t or won’t?” Logan pressured, now glaring. “I think it’s perfectly reasonable to allow me to stretch my legs, especially after keeping me cooped up all day. Are you aware that the few steps I took outside of the cup are about the extent of my exercise for the day? It’s unnatural for me to be kept forcefully in such a lethargic state.”

 Roman frowned, but then an idea came to him. “You want to stretch your legs? Fine.” Roman started rummaging through his desk, dumping things onto the ground. He even grabbed a few books from his bag and started to build using the various items. It took him five minutes before he stood up and took a look at his work. A pretty complicated maze was laid out before him, using all sorts of different objects. He smiled at his work before grabbing Logan off of the desk and sitting cross-legged on the floor. He set Logan down at the entrance.

 “There. If what you really wanted was to stretch your legs and test your abilities, this should do just fine. Right?” Roman said, smirking.


	15. An a-maze-ing escape attempt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan runs about a makeshift maze for Roman's amusement.

Logan frowned, looking at the mess before him. “I’m not going to run about for your amusement like this. It’s demeaning.”

 “This is in no way for my entertainment, it’s to test your ability. Or…is this your way of saying you  _can’t_  do it.” Roman said, the smirk not leaving his face.

 Logan rolled his eyes. He knew that Roman was just trying to get a rise out of him.

 …He hated that it was working.

 Taking out his hook, Logan latched it onto the nearest book wall. He scaled the side, reaching the top and surveying the maze to get a lay of the land from above.

 “Hey, whoa!” Roman grabbed the back of Logan’s shirt and placed him back on the ground. “That’s cheating.”

 “Well it’s hardly cheating if you never established any ground rules.” Logan replied, going over the mental map of the maze in his head. “If anything I was just using my resources wisely.” He went over and collected his hook with a flick of his wrist.

 Roman rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything more on the matter. Instead, he took out his phone and went to the stopwatch app. “Alright, I’m gonna time you, to see how long it takes for you to get through it.” Roman explained, holding up the phone to show Logan.

 “Fine.” Logan said, stretching his neck and lining up at the entrance. He knew where he had to go, thanks to his peek from above. Now it was only a question of how fast to complete it. He didn’t want to waste his energy, seeing as this task was menial and it was likely that Roman would want him to participate more than once. On the other hand…well, he truly was eager to stretch his legs. Might as well show off just a  _little_  bit. For workout purposes, of course.

 Roman smiled when he saw Logan was ready and waiting at the entrance. This was going to be fun to watch. “On your marks, get set,” he clicked the button on the clock. “Go!”

 Logan took off, dashing into the haphazard maze. When he reached the first dead end he turned left, going over the route  in his head.  _Left, right, second left, left, third right_ …He made sure to keep his breathing steady, not wanting to get caught up in the motions and make a mistake. One of the pencils that made up the barriers had fallen into his path, but the borrower simply vaulted over it. After another quick dash to the right, the exit was in sight, and Logan sprinted the last few inches with a sudden burst of energy.

 Roman stopped the watch as soon as he saw Logan run out the other side. 57 seconds. Huh. Roman had to admit he was impressed. “Not bad. Didn’t even go over a minute.” Roman said. He reached over the maze and picked Logan up, bringing him back to the start. “Wanna go again?” Roman grinned.

 “Why?” Logan asked, having expected such a reaction. “It’s not exactly going to be anything new. At this rate it’s providing the same results as if I just sprinted back and forth across the room a few times.”

 Roman hummed. “Alright, it’s fine,  I understand. You can’t go any faster than that, I get it.” Roman said, before smirking.

 “I can!” Logan insisted, having not truly tried his hardest the first time around. “But I certainly don’t need to go about jumping through hoops for you just to prove it.”

 “Of course not.” Roman agreed. “But still…I figured trying to prove me wrong would be something you enjoyed.”

 “That’s only because of how often you’re wrong.” Logan retorted, crossing his arms. On the contrary, it was a bit tedious to Logan just how often he had to correct Roman to simply get him thinking like a competent individual. Of course, the borrower was wise enough to keep this train of thought to himself.

 “Come on, just one more time and then you never have to do it again.”

 “I highly doubt that.” Logan rolled his eyes.

 “Please? I just want to see if you can beat your time.” Roman practically pleaded. He decided to hit Logan with his puppy dog eyes.

 “I can but I won’t.” Logan replied, unaffected by the puppy dog eyes. In fact, he was getting quite a bit of joy out of disappointing Roman.

 Roman groaned and dramatically fell onto his back. “Ugh! You are  _no_  fun!” Roman huffed, crossing his arms as he stared at Logan from his place on the floor.

 “I think we just have differing definitions of ‘fun’.” Logan put his arms out to stay steady when the human flopped to the ground, shaking the floor beneath Logan’s feet.

 “I suppose if you  _truly_  do not want to, I won’t force you.” Roman sighed. He hated to give in, but he quickly realized he wouldn’t be getting anywhere going back and forth with Logan like this.

 Logan wasn’t sure how one would go about forcing a borrower to complete the maze, but he wasn’t eager to find out. “I’ve already told you what I want to do.”

 “And  _I’ve_  already told you no.” Roman said. “Besides, I think it might be time to get ready for bed.” Roman sat back up and looked between Logan and the maze. He didn’t really feel like cleaning it up at the moment, so instead, he just grabbed Logan and stood up.

 He flopped onto the bed and held Logan above him with a thoughtful expression. “Now, where to put you…?”

 Logan squirmed, hating how Roman held him. He was far from tired and didn’t appreciate having to adhere to the human’s sleeping schedule like this. Not to mention, there wasn’t a single location Logan could picture getting a good night’s sleep whilst a human bean who knew his whereabouts slept nearby.

 “I don’t want to be  _put_  anywhere.” Logan protested. “And I’m not tired.”

 “Well, I suppose since I do not have classes tomorrow…I could put on a movie?” Roman suggested with a shrug. As he spoke he sat up in bed, lowering Logan to chest level.

 “…Yes.” Logan agreed. Though he had never seen a movie before, he knew that when humans watched them they were often so distracted that it was a good time for borrowing. If Roman got so distracted as well, then perhaps this would be Logan’s opportunity to escape.

 “Great!” Roman stood up and headed towards the living room, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV with his free hand. He sat down and set Logan down on his shoulder, before bringing up Netflix. He went to his list and debated on what Disney movie would suit Logan best.

 “How does Big Hero 6 sound?” Roman asked. He couldn’t see Logan from where he sat, but even so, his eyes darted towards that side.

 “Roman, I lack any human context to know what that means.” Logan deadpanned.

 “Well, I’m sure you’ll like it. I’d say it’s the nerdiest movie Disney has made, so perfect for you.” Roman said, before pushing play and relaxing into the couch.

 Logan watched the colorful screen, wincing as the music began. “Roman, volume.”

 “Ah, right, sorry.” Roman turned it down.

 Logan relaxed, pulling his hands off his ears. He waited through some of the movie, fighting to not get too interested in the media. His curiosity was heightened, but not just from the plot. How did humans make such a movie? Where did it come from?

 But no, Logan had to stay focused. He listened to the beating of Roman’s heart next to him, waiting for it to slow down enough for Logan to know that Roman was fully enthralled. Once that occured, Logan grabbed the front of Roman’s shirt and began carefully climbing down.

 Roman, of course, noticed the faint tugging on his shirt and looked down without moving his head. He saw Logan climbing down his person and was about to reach a hand out to stop him, before pausing. He was actually kind of curious to see how Logan was going to go about this, so he decided to let him go a bit further. He’d pull him back before he got too far.

 Roman made himself appear oblivious to Logan’s escape attempt.

 Logan finished climbing down Roman’s shirt, looking up to see if he had caught the human’s attention. But Roman was still staring blankly at the screen. Honestly, humans were so unobservant sometimes. Logan slipped down Roman’s pant leg, falling onto the couch cushion. He caught himself just in time, having nearly rolled into Roman due to the crease created in the cushion under the human’s weight. Glancing one more time to guarantee Roman was not paying him any attention, Logan pulled out his hook and grappelled off the side of the couch to land on the carpetting below.

 Roman, once Logan was on the floor, leaned forward and looked right at him. He leaned against his hand and raised an eyebrow. “Whatcha doing?”

 Logan looked up at Roman. Realizing he had been caught, Logan gave up trying to be stealthy. He dashed underneath the couch, leaving behind his still dangling hook in favor of getting a head start. Unlike in the maze, this time Logan gave it his all. He glanced up, hoping to find a gap in the couch’s structural support for hiding.

 Roman eyes widened, even though he had been expecting it. He dove towards the floor and looked underneath the couch, moving his hand underneath and feeling around. “Come on Logan, we both know this is fruitless. You’ve basically trapped yourself, running underneath here.”

 Logan didn’t answer, instead focusing on the task at hand. Making sure to stay clear of Roman’s wandering fingers, Logan jumped up and pulled himself up to cling to a support beam. The way the old couch now sagged left a large enough space for the borrower to squeeze into, getting him out of sight and more importantly out of easy reach.

 Roman huffed, before standing up. “I’m giving you one last warning Logan. Come out on your own or be forced out.”

 Logan did not move, knowing he had a good chance of waiting out Roman’s attempts to find him.

 Roman waited a few moments to give Logan a chance to come out before sighing. “Fine, you leave me no choice. I warn you now though, stay clear of the back!” He waited an extra second, to give Logan time to move if he was near the back, before bending down and lifting the couch up and onto its side.

 Immediately, Roman looked down at the floor, but was both confused and concerned when he didn’t see Logan. “Logan?”

 Logan tumbled about further into the couch cushions, finding himself squished as the entire couch tilted to the side. While Logan’s heart raced from the scare, he was happy to note that if anything, he was even more securely in his hiding place now.

 Roman was silently panicking. He was  _sure_  Logan hadn’t come out, but then  _where_  was he? “Logan, come on. Where are you?” Roman called out, keeping his eyes glued to the floor.

 Logan tried not to move, yet still he felt himself sinking just a bit further. Perhaps his hiding place was getting too secure.

 “Logan!” Roman called out, still searching all around the couch. Honestly, there weren’t that many places to hide, so  _where was he_? “Logan!”

 Logan smirked as he heard Roman calling out his name. As if he’d be foolish enough to reply now. In fact, Logan almost doubted Roman would be able to hear him from here. How sound dampening were couch cushions, anyways?

 Roman took a deep breath, to keep himself from full on panicking and took a look at his options. Okay, so, if Logan wasn’t on the floor, but also shouldn’t have gone out from underneath the couch…than that must mean…

 Roman glanced at the underside of the couch.

 Biting his lip, he slowly reached out his hand and felt along the areas he couldn’t see. Hoping he was right and Logan had somehow managed to get up in there. It would be much better than if Logan had actually managed to  _leave_.

 Logan heard rustling near him, and realized it was only a matter of time now until Roman found him.  _Time to go_ , he thought, but with a start he realized that he was stuck. Until the couch was put upright again, Logan had no chance of getting out on his own.

 Roman continued to search, going further and deeper. His arm was getting sore with all the stretching and reaching, but as felt something different than the rest of the couch, he couldn’t bring himself to care. “Logan?” He asked, more to himself.

 Logan felt something brush against him through the fabric, and he shuddered.

 When he felt the thing move, he was sure it was Logan. Ignoring the flair of pain in his shoulder he reached up further, moving past the fabric and carefully but firmly gripped what he assumed to be Logan’s legs.

 He wanted nothing more than to rip his arm out, but knew that might harm the borrower. So he slowly and carefully maneuvered Logan out from within the couch. He brought him out into the light, dangling him in the air by his legs.

 Logan knew that Roman was probably angry with him, but one look towards the ground made Logan have flashbacks to the first time Roman dangled him like this. He shuddered, his stomach already clenching in anticipation of being dropped for a few feet before just being tossed up again. “R-Roman, put me d-down now.” Logan instructed, trying to keep his glasses from falling off.


	16. Late night promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan tries to escape (again), and Roman begins to wonder if he needs some extra help watching this borrower.

 To say Roman was more than a little annoyed was an understatement, however, at the fear in Logan’s voice, some of his annoyance dropped. He sighed and gently placed Logan on his open palm, before turning off the TV. The movie wasn’t even halfway over yet, but Roman couldn’t bring himself to finish it after what just transpired.

 He walked into his room and shut the door. Holding his hand a few inches above the bed, he let Logan slide off. Watching as the borrower fell onto the bed.

 Logan tumbled onto the bedding, landing with a hard ‘oof’ and rolling further. It was clear from his rough, er, dismount that Roman was still incredibly peeved with him at best. Logan feared he was about to get a taste of the darker side to all humans.

 Roman sighed when he still saw fear in those tiny eyes. And despite the thought of revenge sounding very sweet at the moment, he knew it would not go over well. Instead, he kneeled down next to the bed and placed his head in his arms. He looked Logan in the eye. “You still think I’m going to hurt you.” It wasn’t a question.

 Logan sat down, finding it hard to keep his balance when standing on the uneven surface of the blanket. “Well, aren’t you?” Logan said quietly, hating how Roman kept bringing up his own (well deserved) fear.

 Roman’s eyes turned sad. “No, I’m not.” He hesitated, before reaching out a hand and gently rubbing Logan’s back. He hoped it came off as wanting to provide comfort for the borrower.

 “Don’t touch me.” Logan warned, shuddering beneath the unwanted contact.

 Roman snapped his hand away. “Sorry, I was just…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I…I think it’s time for bed now.” Roman said, making sure there was a finality behind his tone. He stood up and looked around the room, trying to find some place for Logan to sleep.

 “…Fine.” Logan agreed, at least pleased to see there was no punishment for his escape attempt yet. His hook was still dangling from the couch, but even Logan knew better than to ask Roman for it now. It would have to wait until the morning.

 The drawer was definitely out and Roman needed someplace where Logan couldn’t escape, but also where he wouldn’t feel claustrophobic…Roman turned his attention to the closet and went in to look. When he came out, he was carrying a rather large cardboard box. The sides were big enough that Logan shouldn’t be able to climb out, but it was also open enough that hopefully Logan didn’t get claustrophobic.

 He placed some of his shirts on the inside and set it on the nightstand. He hesitated only briefly in picking Logan up and setting him inside. “There, that should work, for now at least.”

 Logan inspected the walls, feeling how weak they were. Much weaker than the coffee cup. “Oh, thank you, Roman.” Logan said with an eye roll and a smirk, trying to walk through the thick fabric without tripping. Unfortunately he failed, face-planting in the center.

 Roman really tried, but couldn’t help but laugh as Logan fell. “Are you alright?” He asked after calming down somewhat.

 “I’m fine!” Logan said hastily, face red as he turned over. He began adjusting the fabric around him, forming it into a bed before pulling some of it over his head.

 Roman rolled his eyes before settling into his own bed, he turned off the light and turned over. “Goodnight Logan.”

 After a few moments, Roman took out his phone and pulled up Virgil’s contact. He bit his lip. Logan was becoming quite the handful, that was for sure. It could help him out if he had an extra set of hands and eyes. Not to mention, he was going crazy, keeping Logan to himself. He needed to show  _somebody_. And of course, why not have that someone be his best friend?

 He attached the picture of Logan he had taken earlier to the text and sent if off. He waited a few more moments, but was surprised he didn’t get a text back. It must have been one of the rare times Virgil actually went to bed before 3am. Roman shrugged and put his phone down, settling into bed. He’d see Virgil’s response in the morning.

 Logan was more careful this time. He listened to Roman’s breathing evening out as the human fell asleep. Still Logan waited, reciting poems and phrases in his mind to keep awake while the time passed. Once he was sure it had been long enough, Logan waited 10 more minutes just to be sure. Only then did Logan creep out of bed, over to the side of the box not facing the sleeping giant. Logan took out his tool, slowly scraping at the thin papery wall. He winced when it made a loud scratching sound. 

 Logan paused his work, listening for any sounds of stirring. When he heard none, Logan repeated this process. Scratch. Wait. Scratch. Wait. It was a tedious process, but Logan knew he needed to be cautious over all else. Patience would be his friend. After all, he was already making good progress, and there was still a long night ahead of him.

 Roman wasn’t sure what time it was when he woke up, but it was definitely still dark outside. He blinded grabbed for his phone and then left the room with a yawn to go to the bathroom.

 Hearing Roman get up, Logan practically dove back into his hole, putting his tool back in his bag and pulling up the blanket to appear sound asleep.

 When Roman came back he decided to check on Logan. He shone his dimmed phone screen into the box and saw that Logan was fast asleep. He smiled, but it soon turned into a frown when he noticed the tears in the cardboard.

 …Okay, he really needed to keep Logan in something untearable.

 Sighing, he decided to lift Logan up, careful not to wake him.

 Logan froze, not expecting to be picked up. He kept his eyes closed, keeping up the allusion of being asleep even if on the inside he was panicking. What was Roman doing?

 He got back into bed and settled Logan onto his chest, placing his hand over him as a sort of blanket. He yawned into his free hand and then settled back into bed himself.

 When the major movements settled down but the surface below him kept moving, Logan opened his eyes. It seemed Roman had moved him onto the human’s chest and was now holding him like some form of teddy bear. Logan frowned, waiting a few moments before beginning to crawl out from under the palm placed over him.

 Roman was quick to wake at the movement on his chest and carefully, but firmly, tightened his grip. Just enough to keep Logan in place, but not hurt him.

 When the grip around him began to get tighter, Logan began to panic slightly. “Roman!” Logan called loudly to get the human’s attention.

 “Relax.” Roman said tiredly. “I’m not gripping you that hard.”

 “Roman, you’re not thinking again.” Logan insisted, realizing he was losing the human’s attention. “You may not be gripping me hard now, but muscles automatically contract when a creature is asleep. Your grip will only get tighter throughout the night to a deadly point, at which point you’ll probably be in too deep a sleep for me to be able to wake you.”

 Roman hummed, the whole thing going over his head. “It’s fine, you’re okay.” Roman reassured Logan, already finding himself falling back asleep. “Goodnight…”

 “ROMAN!” Logan yelled, pounding on the human’s chest as best he possibly could with how his arms and legs were being pinned. “ROMAN, YOU PROMISED!”

 Roman awoke fully this time, at the sound of Logan’s panicked yelling. He sat up, releasing his grip and letting Logan sit in his open palm. “Whoa, whoa, what happened? What’s wrong?”

 “Are you  _serious_?” Logan panted, chest heaving slightly from the scare. “You were just coddling me like a teddy bear in your sleep and tried to continue to do so throughout the night with no regard for my well being.”

 Roman blinked. “…I was?” He asked, very confused.

 “Unbelievable.” Logan scoffed, putting a hand over his still racing heart. “My life was at risk and you weren’t even awake enough to remember it.”

 Well, now Roman felt bad. “I am so sorry for what half-asleep Roman did. Though…I suppose I wasn’t really thinking when I placed you on my chest to sleep either…” Roman said, trailing off.

 “Of course you weren’t!” Logan threw his arms up in exasperation. “You never are! It’s clear my safety has been and always will be a secondary priority to every part of your trivial cranium!”

 “That’s not true! I just…” Roman was too tired to think. “I’ve never dealt with anyone your size before! Okay, I’m learning, but I’m going into this with absolutely nothing to go off of.” Roman ran his free hand through his hair. His eyes glanced towards the clock. 4am.

 “It’s not like I  _want_  to hurt you.” Roman said with a sigh.

 “I. Do. Not. Care.” Logan hissed, pausing between each word. “You are doing it anyways. I am tired and sore and it’s entirely your fault. You’ve promised to change your actions and yet continued to endanger my life with no true change in behavior. So, the conclusion that can be drawn is that, at best, you are indifferent to my health in favor of your pleasure.”

 “What? Am I not allowed to make mistakes? And if I was truly indifferent to your health, you would be dead by now.” Not that Roman actually meant that, but his annoyance made him say it.

 “Oh, my apologies.” Logan sneered, sleep deprivation catching up to him. “You care just enough to make sure your precious pet doesn’t perish.”

 “Wha-I…” Even though Roman had admitted, outloud, that he considered Logan a pet before, hearing Logan refer to himself as such struck a weird cord with him. And while it was true, in the beginning, that Roman saw Logan as a pet, he didn’t anymore. He still considered Logan  _his_ , but Roman realized along the way that he was much more than some pet.

 “That’s not true!” Roman exclaimed again, louder. “I-you-ugh…” Roman groaned, before taking a deep breath. This was getting them nowhere.

 “I think we both need sleep.” Roman said, trying his best to be calm. “We can talk about this more in the morning.” Or forget about it completely, that would be perfectly fine with him. He stood up and looked around for yet  _another_  place to put Logan. This time something that Logan wouldn’t be able to cut through.

 “Fine by me.” Logan huffed, crossing his arms. “Just put me back in the box so I can go back to sleep.”

 “I doubt you even went to sleep in the first place.” Roman muttered, still scanning the room. It was then he remembered the tin of paints and brushes he kept inside his desk. He went over and dumped the contents onto the floor near the rest of the mess he already had to clean up. He looked it over. It was a little stained, but putting a shirt in should cover it well enough.

 Which he did, using the shirts he had first placed in the cardboard box. He then switched the two and through the cardboard box onto the floor, while placing Logan inside the tin. “There, now please get some rest.” Roman said, already flopping into bed.

 “It still smells like paint in here.” Logan called out half-heartedly. “Could be toxic.”

 “The paints I get are non-toxic.” Roman said, his words muffled by the fact his face was in his pillow.

 Logan was too tired to put up more of a fight tonight. After the scare with Roman, Logan was just thankful to have a safe place for the night. He let himself drift into sleep, intent on getting his energy back to focus on escape tomorrow.


	17. Screen time saves lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Late in the night, Virgil receives a very important text.

The seventh episode of what Patton now knew to be Steven Universe ended and the borrower couldn’t get enough. It was so  _good_. Not to mention pretty with all the colors and the characters were amazing and-

 He looked over to Virgil, who was glancing between his phone and the TV. Patton then turned his head towards the nearest window, frowning when he saw it was dark. “Uh, Virgil what time is it?” He asked.

 Virgil looked at the clock at the top of his phone screen. “11:38.” Virgil read off, realizing it had gotten a bit later than he thought.

 Patton hummed. He was sure that was well past the time humans were supposed to be in bed. “Well, I think it’s probably time we headed off to bed, don’t you think?”

 “Eh, it’s fine.” Virgil paused. “Wait, are you…do you not like the show? ‘Cause we can watch something else, of course.” Was Patton just too nervous to ask? But Patton looked like he was enjoying it… Had he hated it the whole time?  _It’s just a stupid kids show, after all._

 “What? No! In fact, I love it! I just think it’s getting a little late.” Patton said, reassuring Virgil that he indeed liked the show.

 “Oh.” Virgil shrugged. “Sorry, I guess it is late. Most people go to bed earlier than I do. You’re probably tired.”  _Tired of me._

 “A little, it’s been quite the day.” Patton chuckled, thinking back. It was weird to think that just that morning he had been stuck and afraid a spider would eat him. “Aren’t you tired?”

 “Yeah, tired of life.” Virgil said automatically with a chuckle.

 Patton suddenly looked at him with concern. “What? Kiddo, are you okay? I mean, I know you said you have bad days, but is it really  _that_  bad.” Patton asked, his worry making him talk fast. He moved a little closer to the human, ready to comfort the human at any moment.

 “Oh, Patton, I’m okay.” Virgil immediately backtracked, forgetting who he was talking to for a moment. Dark humor did not seem to mix well with Patton. “It was just a joke, sorry. I know I shouldn’t talk like that. It was kinda automatic, since it’s what I just say a lot. I’m fine.”

 “Oh.” Patton relaxed his tense stance. “That’s good. That you’re okay, I mean.” Patton shifted a little, before brightening up.

 “Anyway!” Patton said with a smile. “Bed?”

 “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” Virgil said with only slight hesitation, turning the tv off. After all, he’d probably just be scrolling through tumblr on his phone in bed for the next few hours again. “Do you, um, do you need a…ride anywhere?” Virgil asked, looking down at Patton and trying not to feel like he was towering above him. Virgil would be sad to see Patton go again, but maybe he’d be back in the morning. Virgil could only hope.

 “I could use a lift to your room. If it isn’t too much trouble.” Patton grinned. “I know I can be quite the  _handful_.”

 Virgil chuckled, putting down his palm next to Patton. “Sounds good, Pat.”

 Patton lit up as Virgil chuckled at his pun before quickly climbing onto Virgil’s hand. It was a lot easier for him to get on the hand this time around. He sat in the center and set Virgil a thumbs up like last time.

 Virgil carried him over to his bedroom, finding that the more he held Patton the less paranoid he was about dropping him. Patton’s ease with the whole situation helped to alleviate his nerves. Virgil paused, looking around the room. “So… where should I…do you want to be on the dresser, the nightstand, the floor…?” Virgil asked.

 “You can just set me on the bed, kiddo!” Patton answered enthusiastically.

 “Oh, okay.” Virgil set Patton down on the bed, right between the blankets and his pillows before taking a step back.

 Patton wobbled a bit, before quickly gaining his balance. It was easier since he had been on the bed before. He looked up at Virgil, ignoring the way he seemed to loom, even with having taken a step back. He pushed back his instinctual fear and fell back onto the pillow with a happy sigh. The pillow was possibly the most comfortable thing he had ever laid on. He looked back up at Virgil when he saw that he had yet to move. He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

 “Aren’t you getting into bed?” Patton asked, head tilted.

 “Uh…” Virgil was thrown off by this. Had he missed something? Was Patton on sleeping in his bed? Of course, Virgil wanted to be polite, but this seemed a bit odd. And unsafe. Not to mention, he’d only known Patton for less than a day. “Well, I mean, I… didn’t expect to…um, I can just take the floor for the night.” Virgil offered, not wanting to kick Patton out.

 “You don’t have to do that.” Patton said, sitting up. “I can move over if you need me to.” Patton said, grinning. He made a show of scooting over an inch and patting the space next to him.

 Virgil smiled at Patton’s movement, but he was still hesitant. “Well, I just… I don’t wanna like… roll over in my sleep or something…” Virgil winced. “I mean, I’m usually a sound sleeper! I don’t snore, I think. But, um,-”

 “Kiddo, I’ll be fine.” Patton spoke gently, seeing Virgil’s worry. “If you’re that worried though, I can sleep on the nightstand.” Patton said, motioning over to the small table to his right.

 “Just set me up with a blanket and I’ll be all good!”

 “Are you sure?” Virgil looked at the nightstand. “I really don’t want to make you uncomfortable. Whatever you want, I’ll be fine.”

 “It’s okay! I want to make  _you_  comfortable as well. This isn’t just about me ya know.” Patton said, already standing and making his way over to the nightstand. He jumped the distance and landed with a solid ‘oof’ before turning back towards Virgil.

 Virgil’s eyes widened, watching Patton make what had seemed like an impossible jump. “Well… alright then.” Virgil relented, pulling one of his blankets off the bed and folding it up. He placed it next to Patton. “Is that good?” He asked.

 Patton tested it by falling back into it. He sunk in and started to form a sort of nest. “It’s great!” He couldn’t even feel the hard wood below him.

 “Okay, good.” Virgil breathed a sigh of relief. He flicked off the lights, climbing into bed himself. “G’night.” Virgil said, looking over at Patton in the darkness.

 “Night!” Patton said, settling down and closing his eyes. It was weird being out in the open and his instincts were on high alert, so he knew it would be a bit before he would properly fall asleep, but he also didn’t feel the need to leave either. He sighed and tried to will his mind to settle.

 Virgil turned over on his side, pulling out his phone. He wasn’t tired yet, but he didn’t want to distract Patton with the screen glow. He pulled up tumblr and began his usual nightly scrolling routine.

 Patton probably wouldn’t have noticed the soft glow, if not for being used to complete darkness when he slept. He opened his eyes and looked over towards Virgil, noticing the glow coming from where he was. Patton frowned, realizing the glow must have been from the human’s phone, which meant he was still awake.

 The whole reason he suggest they go to bed was so that they could  _go to bed_. Both of them.

 Patton stood up and, as quietly as he could manage, jumped back onto the bed. He looked up at Virgil, but he hadn’t seemed to notice. With determined eyes, Patton walked over and gripped a fist full of Virgil’s shirt, tugging at it as he started to climb.

 Virgil froze, feeling a tugging sensation at the back of his shirt. “…Patton?” Virgil asked quietly.

 Patton didn’t answer, instead finishing his climb to the top and sliding down so he was now in between Virgil and his phone. “I thought we agreed on going to bed, kiddo.” Patton said, crossing his arms.

 Virgil looked down at Patton, feeling sheepish like he had been caught out past curfew by his dad. “Sorry, did I wake you? I was trying to be discrete.”

 “You didn’t, but that isn’t the point here. You need sleep!” Patton exclaimed and then shook his head. He walked over to where Virgil was holding his phone and grabbed the bottom, trying to lift it from Virgil’s grasp. “I’m, ugh, taking this with me so, agh, you can sleep!” Patton said in between grunts.

 Virgil tried not to laugh, smirking at how easily he kept a hold of the phone despite Patton’s efforts. Virgil let go, allowing the phone to fall into Patton’s grasp.

 “Ah ha!” Patton said when the phone slipped from Virgil’s grasp into his own. However, he wasn’t counting on how heavy it would be and found himself falling backwards with the phone falling on top of him.

 “Ah!” Virgil gasped, quickly grabbing the phone off Patton and using the glow of the screen to inspect his tiny friend. “Are you alright?”

 Patton chuckled sheepishly from where he lay. “I’m okay.”

 “You had me worried there, Pat.” Virgil said, sighing in relief.

 “Heh, sorry kiddo.” Patton said as he sat up. “The phone was heavier than I thought.” He stood up all the way, stretching. He turned back to Virgil.

 “But seriously, you should try to get some sleep. Staying up this late isn’t healthy.” Patton said, going back to dad mode.

 “Okay, okay.” Virgil conceded, placing his hand next to Patton. “I’ll put it on the nightstand.”

 Patton nodded and climbed on.

 Virgil put Patton on the blanket square, placing his phone on the nightstand next to the blanket.

 “Goodnight kiddo!” Patton said, happy to see Virgil was leaving the phone with him. He settled back down into his own makeshift bed.

 “Goodnight.” Virgil replied, closing his eyes to go to sleep.

 Unfortunately, It was only a few minutes later, when both the human and the borrower were fast asleep, that Virgil’s phone dinged with a message from Roman.

***

 Patton slowly shifted awake, yawning and stretching as a few sunbeams from the window found its way onto his face. He squinted, not used to such harsh light right when he woke up. He turned to Virgil, smiling softly when he saw him still asleep.

 He carefully got out of his little nest and scanned the room. His eyes fell on the phone, lifting an eyebrow when he saw a part of the phone was blinking. Curious, he went over to it and decided to push the button found near the bottom. He pressed it and it lit up with the time and a picture of Virgil and some other human. But what caught his eyes was the little rectangle right underneath the time.

 It was some sort of message from ‘Roman’ and his eyes trailed over to the little square. He squinted to get a better look only to suddenly seize back in shock. No…no it couldn’t be. He looked again, but there was no denying the fact.

 The picture was of  _Logan_.

 Panicking, Patton ran over to the edge of the nightstand and cupped his hands. “Virgil! Virgil, wake up!”

 “What!” Virgil sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes hurriedly. He looked down at Patton, frantically glancing around to see what was the trouble. Was there another spider?

 “He-I…Look!” He stammered, before pointing towards the phone.

 Virgil grabbed his phone, noticing he had a text from Roman. He opened it, eyes widening at the sight. Now he knew why Patton was so worried. It was a picture of another borrower, sleeping in what looked to be Roman’s nightstand drawer. “Uh oh.” Virgil sent a quick text saying “ _WTF?!_ ” to Roman, before turning back to Patton. “Uh… do you know him?” Virgil asked, turning the phone so Patton could see the picture.

 Patton nodded his head rapidly. “Yeah! That’s Logan!” Patton ran a hand through his hair. He was worried, but…maybe this Roman wasn’t all bad?

 “Do…um, do you know Roman? Like, do you think Logan is…okay? With him?” Patton asked nervously, scared of the answer. Just because Virgil, one human out of billions, was nice, didn’t mean they all were.

 “Well…” Virgil paused, trying to think about the idea of Roman and Patton meeting. Roman was Virgil’s best friend, but he wasn’t exactly….careful. He was loud and self-centered and extroverted. Maybe not the best companion for a borrower. Not to mention, he sometimes had a bit of a hot-headed attitude problem. “I mean, Logan looks okay.” Virgil offered, going off the only thing he knew for sure. “But I don’t… I mean I really don’t want to assume anything…” Virgil really, really wanted answers, but Roman hadn’t texted back yet. Virgil was getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach but he tried not to freak Patton out any further. “Roman can be a bit…much, at least for me.”

 Patton bit his lip, not finding any sort of confidence in Virgil’s answer. So, there was only one thing left to do. He looked up at Virgil with a pleading look. “We  _have_  to go get him, or at least check to see if he is okay, please?” Patton asked, practically pleading.

 “Yeah, yeah of course.” Virgil agreed immediately. Why didn’t he just think of that? Roman only lived a few floors above him. “Just…gimme two seconds to get dressed.” Virgil explained, hurriedly grabbing a few clothes off the ground and going to the bathroom to change. He came back, still in the act of throwing on his hoodie.

 Virgil looked down at his phone, glancing at the the time. “I’m not sure if Roman’ll be awake yet, but we can still head up there.” Virgil put his hand down next to Patton. “I’ve got a spare key anyways that he gave me.”

 Patton didn’t waste any time in climbing on. “Thank you Virgil.” He said, giving the human a small smile despite the fact he was so worried about Logan.

 “Of course, Patton.” Virgil nodded, holding Patton close to his chest. He couldn’t stop feeling anxious about this whole thing though. How did Roman even get a hold of Logan? Where did he get the picture? Why was there no text explaining? All these thoughts ran through Virgil’s mind as he walked out his front door, heading up the apartment stairs.


	18. Fight Me, Roman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil shows up to rescue Logan. Things don't go as planned.

 Roman stirred awake, stretching as he sat up in bed. As soon as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he looked towards the nightstand where a tin sat, holding a certain someone. The memories from last night-or earlier that morning-came back to him, but he shook them away. He was hoping they could just forget that ever happened.

 He grabbed the tin and placed it on his lap, looking down into it to see Logan still asleep. Smiling at how cute Logan looked, he reached a hand in and gently poked the borrower in the side.

 Logan groaned, pulling away from the touch and trying to burrow further into the blanket.

 Roman chuckled and this time when he reached his hand in, he scooped Logan up so he was lying in his open palm. He then poked him in the side again. “Come on Logan, wake up.”

 Logan groaned again, pulling his arm over his eyes to shield them from the blinding light now that he was being held in the open. “What an ungodly hour to be awake.”

 “Dude, it’s like-” he glanced at the clock. “-9 in the morning. It isn’t  _that_  early.”

 “I operate more often at night.” Logan lifted his arm to glare at Roman. “Although if I recall, I didn’t even get the chance to sleep last night regardless.”

 Roman looked sheepish and turned his head. “…Okay, maybe I  _could_  have let you sleep in a bit longer.” Roman admitted. “But it’s too late now! Maybe we can take a little nap later on though.” Despite getting more sleep than Logan last night, he could feel his energy was still pretty drained as well.

 His eyes glanced over to his phone and he remembered what he had sent before going to bed. He set Logan back down in the tin still on his lap and picked up his phone to check if Virgil sent something back.

 Logan took this opportunity and pulled the edge of the blanket back over him, desperate to try and get a few more minutes of sleep.

 Roman found that Virgil had indeed answered him with an expected ‘WTF?!’ and it hadn’t even been sent too long ago. He thought for a moment, before starting to type. He was on his second paragraph when he heard a knock at his door.

 Confused, he looked from his door to Logan before getting up and leaving the tin back on the nightstand. He could leave Logan alone for a second to see who answered the door. Logan had probably already fallen back asleep at this point anyway.

 He yawned into his hand as he answered the door, surprised to see it was Virgil. “Virgil, I was just in the middle of texting you back.”

 “Yeah, uh, what the heck was that about?” Virgil said, trying and failing to keep his voice from getting accusatory.

 Roman grinned before ushering Virgil in and closing the door behind him. He then kept his voice low as he spoke. “Alright, so the other day I found this  _tiny person_. His name is Logan and he’s something called a borrower. Anyway, I just had to tell you because I was about to die if I didn’t tell  _someone_.” Roman explained, giving the short version.

 “Uh, yeah.” Virgil glanced down at Patton who sat in his palms before looking back at Roman. “Kinda past that point, princey.”

 Roman blinked and looked down, finally noticing what was in Virgil’s hands. His eyes widened. “You…You found one too?!” He exclaimed.

 Patton winced at how loud Roman was being, but still sent him a nervous wave.

 “Dude, quiet.” Virgil scolded, noticing Patton’s reaction. He held the borrower a little higher, keeping him close. “Roman, this is Patton. Patton, Roman.”

 “Uh…Hi.” Patton said, looking up at Roman.

 Roman’s eyes widened even more and he grinned. Then, before Virgil could react, he scooped Patton into his own cupped hands. “Oh my goodness, you are adorable!”

 Patton squeaked as he was suddenly lifted out of Virgil’s hands and held incredibly close to Roman. He tried backing away as much as he could, but tensed when he hit fingers. He looked to Virgil for some help.

 “Wha-hey!” Virgil said angrily, quickly grabbing Patton back and holding him protectively to his chest. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Virgil hissed. “You can’t just go around grabbing people!” He hoped Patton would forgive him for doing the exact same thing. Virgil was getting more anxious about what state they were going to find Logan in.

 Patton didn’t like that he was grabbed again, but he felt better being back in Virgil’s hands despite that.

 Roman blinked and held up his hands. “Sorry?” Grabbing Patton was probably a little rude when he was already in Virgil’s hands, but he picked Logan up all the time.

 “Uh, anyway, Virgil, you have to come and meet Logan.” He said, motioning for his friend to follow him as he made his way to his room.

 Virgil followed close behind, pausing only to briefly check if Patton was okay. “You good?” Virgil asked quietly, looking down at the borrower.

 “I’m…okay.” Patton said. Roman grabbing him had definitely scared him, but he wasn’t hurt or anything.

 Roman peered into the tin, poking Logan in the side. “Logan…Logan, wake up. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

 “Wait, what?” Logan sat up quickly, now worried. He had just wanted a few more minutes of sleep, and now…was there another human here?! “Roman, what’s going on?”

 “Hey, it’s okay.” Roman scooped Logan up, turning around. “This is my best friend Virgil, he wouldn’t hurt a fly. And his borrower friend Patton!” Roman said, introducing Logan to everyone.

 Logan’s half-asleep mind raced to process all that was being presented to him. He wanted to run and hide from this new human’s gaze, but the name of  _his_  best friend froze him in his tracks. This new human, Virgil, was holding his hands cupped to his chest.  _Oh no…_

 As Virgil lowered his hands, Logan’s worst fears were confirmed.

 When Patton saw Logan, he couldn’t help but smile. He looked to be alright, at least from where he was. “Logan!”

 Roman blinked when Patton yelled out Logan’s name like he knew him…wait. “Do you two…know each other?” Roman asked.

 Logan gave his friend a confused wave, unsure why Patton seemed so jovial at a time like this. “…Yes.”

 Patton did his best to ignore Roman as he stared at Logan. “Logan! Are you okay!?”

 Roman blinked. “Yes? Why wouldn’t he be?”

 Logan glared up at Roman. “No. Why would I be?” He retorted.

 “Don’t speak for him, Roman.” Virgil scolded, sensing that some of his fears might have been correct.

 Roman glared right back at Logan. “Hey, despite…a  _few_  things…I have been taking great care of you!” Roman defended himself. He turned back towards the other two, smiling. “He’s perfectly fine.”

 Patton furrowed his eyebrows at how Roman was acting and sent a look up at Virgil.

 Virgil didn’t like Roman’s wording one bit. He turned to look at Logan, finding it so strange how similar yet completely different he looked in comparison to Patton. “Logan, how long have you been here?”

 Logan paused, surprised to see Virgil addressing  _him_. He wasn’t sure if he should respond at all; on one hand, Virgil was keeping his best friend captive. On the other hand, Virgil seemed mad at Roman too.  _The enemy of my enemy is my friend._  “A-A few days.” Logan answered, sure that information wouldn’t hurt.

 Virgil looked up to Roman again, now angry for a multitude of reasons. “And how often has he gone home, Roman?” Virgil asked irritably.

 “He  _is_  home.” Roman said, raising an eyebrow. “So, if you want to be technical, he’s never left.”

 Patton deflated at Roman’s words. He was… _pretty_  sure Logan hadn’t agreed to that.

 “Falsehood.” Logan said through gritted teeth.

 “Roman, what on earth are you doing?” Virgil shook his head, looking down at Logan with pity before returning to his glare towards Roman. “You can’t just keep him captive! He’s not an animal, he’s a person.”

 Roman returned the glare. “I know that! Why do you think I’m keeping him here? Do you know how dangerous it is for people his size! Not to mention they have a seriously unhealthy diet, among other things. But, staying here with me, I can keep him safe and provide everything he needs, it’s a win-win.” Roman’s glare turned to one of confusion.

 “Is that not what you are doing with Patton?” Roman asked.

 Patton’s eyes widened at what Roman said and realized things could have gone so much differently if Virgil was just a little more like Roman. He had to admit, it sounded nice, but not at the expense of his own freedom.

 “I-wha…NO!” Virgil insisted, only now wishing he had left Patton at his apartment if only so he could free his hands and knock some sense into Roman. “No, Patton  _chooses_  to hang out with me, for whatever reason, and he’s more than welcome to do what he wants. And he’s plenty capable of doing so. I’ve seen him, he can take care of himself. And I’m sure Logan can too. Not to mention, it should be Logan’s choice if he wants to be taken care of or whatever.”

 “I don’t, for the record.” Logan piped up, surprised by everything Virgil said. Was all that really true? He gave Patton a confused glance.

 Patton caught Logan’s look and nodded, confirming that everything Virgil said was true.

 Roman grit his teeth. “Logan is just too stubborn to see what a good thing he has here.” Roman said, trying not to let his temper control him. While him and Virgil were best friends, they also argued. A lot. And more often than not, Virgil got him the most angry. He took a deep breath.

 “Besides, if I let him leave, he’d never come back.” He looked down at Patton. “Unlike Patton here, who  _does_  know a good thing when he sees it, it seems.” Roman said, grinning at the borrower.

 Patton didn’t return the smile, instead curling further into Virgil. He wasn’t so sure he liked Roman. And from how things were going, they might have a harder time getting Logan back then they had hoped.

 Virgil pulled Patton even closer to himself. “Well, have you tested that?” Virgil argued, trying to get through to Roman by going with Roman’s absurd logic. “If you’ve really got such a good system going, Logan would realize that after a little while and come running back.”

 Logan’s lip curled in disgust at the thought, knowing that if he ever got free he would not be coming back. Of course, Logan knew better than to voice this train of thought to human beans.

 Roman shook his head. “Of course not. Why would I take that chance, especially after he’s already tried to leave.”

 “Uh, because I did?” Virgil hoped Patton could forgive him for playing along. “And it all turned out, er, great?”

 “Oh?” Roman raised an eyebrow. He would have also crossed his arms, if not for Logan still in his hands. And at this point he was loath to put him down for fear of Virgil snapping him up and running. “You don’t sound very confident of that fact.”

 Patton looked up at Virgil, he trusted him, but was just a bit confused.

 “Well because it’s hard to believe you’re acting so pig-headed again.” Virgil practically growled. He took a deep breath, trying to think of Patton in his hands. He couldn’t let this get messy, not now. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to get all aggressive.”  _Yes you did._  “I just think that maybe you’re thinking about this the wrong way because …you’re scared to lose him.”

 Roman tensed and instinctively held Logan closer. “I…I don’t-I mean…” Roman shook his head before glaring at Virgil. “Get out.”

 “No.” Virgil stood his ground.

 “I said. Get. Out.” Roman spoke, practically growling. He stepped closer and stood up straight to appear intimidating.

 Patton squeaked in fear, Roman’s intimidation tactic working  _very_  well on him. He dug his face into Virgil’s shirt.

 Virgil looked down, realizing how scared Patton was. Though Virgil was used to Roman’s anger and could glare him down all day, Patton was not. And he couldn’t risk Patton’s safety like this. He didn’t want to leave Logan with an angry Roman, but he was left with no choice. He hoped both borrowers would forgive him. Was he doing the right thing?

 “This isn’t over.” Virgil assured Roman, turning on his heel and leaving the apartment. Virgil began carefully rushing down the stairs, back to his apartment.


	19. I'm sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman needs to blow off a little steam, so it seems.

Roman huffed as he watched Virgil go. “Honestly, the nerve of him. Coming into my home and telling me what to do…” He shook his head. He sat down on his bed and shifted Logan to one hand in order to run the now free one through his hair, trying to calm himself down.

 “And you should have listened to him.” Logan pointed out, surprised to find himself aligned with a human bean.

 “Of course you would say that.” Roman muttered, still feeling both angry and frustrated. What a great way to start the day.

 “Because Virgil is correct.” Logan continued, finding himself unbelievably frustrated with Roman’s stupidity. He glared up at him. “If you truly believed any of the absurdities that regularly spill from your mouth than you would be wise enough to know that. If I really  _“don’t know how good I have it”_ ,” -Logan put finger quotes around this bit in mockery-, “then within a few days of being alone I’d be sure to come running back. So clearly the only reason you’re not willing to test that theory is you have an ulterior motive.”

 Roman felt his mouth go dry and he shook his head. He pointed a stern finger at Logan. “We are not discussing this right now.” His morning was already ruined, he didn’t want to keep digging deeper.

 Besides, he knew Logan was simply twisting his point in order to be let go.

 He pushed the guilt down at that thought and stood, heading towards the kitchen after making sure the front door was locked. He’d have to be careful, considering Virgil had a key to his apartment and could essentially get in at any time.

 He set Logan down and started looking through the fridge for something to make, eyes glancing towards Logan every few seconds.

 “No, we are discussing this right now.” Logan argued, determined to not get sidetracked despite the human’s agenda. “If the topic is making you uncomfortable that only signifies its’ importance.”

 Roman grit his teeth and slammed the fridge door shut. He turned to glare down at Logan. “I am doing this to  _help_  you.” Roman said, trying to calm his frustration but failing. “ _That_  is the end of the discussion.”

 Logan couldn’t help but flinch at Roman’s anger, now solely directed at him. He was suddenly jealous of Virgil; Logan wished he could show the same stoic coldness in opposition to Roman’s fiery rage. Unfortunately, Logan’s borrower nature prevented him from doing so. Logan broke eye contact, looking down towards his feet.

 “I don’t need your h-help.” Logan couldn’t keep a slight tremble out of his voice, crossing his arms over his chest subconsciously.

 Roman recognized the fear in Logan’s voice, but he was far too frustrated to acknowledge it. “You don’t know  _what_  you need! You’ve lived your whole life, hiding and stealing and having so little. And here I am offering you  _so much_! So  _why_  do you keep fighting me on leaving?!” Roman asked, voice louder than it had ever gone when speaking to Logan. At this point, he was right above the borrower, glaring down.

 Logan’s hands went reflexively to his ears, ducking his head in defense. He had gone too far. He had pushed Roman’s buttons one too many times, and now his true human, monstrous form was out. Logan could feel his legs shaking, as if they would give out any second. He closed his eyes, waiting for…something. Would Roman hurt him again? Toss him about? Throw him in a jar?

 Again, Roman’s frustration- _anger, he was angry_ -made Roman ignore Logan’s fear. “Answer me!” He yelled, slamming his hand down only an inch away from where Logan stood.

 Logan let out a yelp, his legs finally giving out as the surface beneath him trembled. He fell to his knees, trying to keep his hands on his ears while also using his arms to protect his neck and head. Tears pricked at his eyes. Logan couldn’t even remember Roman’s original question with the way his skull was pounding.

 “I’M SORRY!” Logan shouted out, voice cracking as he did so in fear.

 Logan’s shout  _finally_  snapped him out of his anger and Roman stared down at the trembling borrower and then at his hand literally right next to him. Even in his angered state, he never intended to hurt him…but he knew Logan hadn’t known that.

 Roman snapped his hand back and stumbled back a few steps. He ran a hand through his hair and opened his mouth to say something,  _anything_ , but closed it. Realizing there was nothing he really  _could_  say.

 Instead, he backed away until his back hit the far wall and he slid down it until he was sitting. He looked down at his hands, clenching them. His brain putting himself in Logan’s shoes and replaying the last three minutes.

 …He supposed he could see why Logan wanted to leave.

 Logan could feel his heartbeat threatening to break out of his ribcage. Looking up at Roman just long enough to confirm the human had retreated, Logan set about trying to calm himself down. Despite his best efforts, Logan only felt more tears collecting in his eyes before a few began to fall. He grasped at his hair, pulling at it as if to confirm he truly was still alive.

 Roman stayed where he was, only glancing up for a moment to check on Logan. He winced and looked away when he saw Logan crying. He wanted nothing more than to comfort the borrower, but knew his comfort would only cause more tears.

 So, he let Logan cry as he continued to calm himself down. Because despite realizing what he did was wrong, he still found himself angry at everything. Mostly at himself, at this point, but his other points of anger still stood. And he couldn’t face Logan again while still angry.

 Logan took a few deep breaths, pushing at his face with his arms to wipe the tears away. He forced himself to calm down. Despite his fears not moments ago, Logan was still alive. And based on Roman’s isolation to the other side of the room, hopefully things would stay that way.

 Logan felt anxious to collect himself quickly; much of this anxiety stemmed from his displeasure at appearing weak, especially in front of others. Unfortunately, Logan still found himself unable to stand, instead pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his chin atop them. He let out a long sigh, looking down at his boots.

 Logan knew now more than ever how important it was that he get out of here, but he couldn’t risk an escape attempt right this moment. Not now, when Roman was still watching him and very well may be just as furious as before. Logan shuddered at the memory, feeling phantom vibrations through the countertop.

 Roman took a few more minutes, making sure he was calmed down, before standing. “I know it’s not something you’ll believe,” Roman started, keeping his voice so low it was almost a whisper. “But I’m sorry.” His head was turned away from Logan, but he looked at the borrower out of the corner of his eye.

 “I can believe that.” Logan said quietly, eyes still downcast and fearful. After all, from Logan’s understanding it was common for humans to feel guilty after scaring or harming a pet. What Logan  _couldn’t_  believe was that this wouldn’t happen again. Roman kept doing things that harmed Logan, only to apologize later. Each episode seemed to get more dangerous than the last. How far was it going to go?

 Roman hummed, unsure if he believed Logan or not. Obviously Logan was still scared, which might mean he would say anything in order to be on Roman’s good side. Roman just about hated himself at the thought.

 He took one step towards Logan before changing his mind and going back over to the fridge. He grabbed the first thing he saw-some eggs-and started preparing to cook them.

 Logan watched Roman’s movements carefully, finding himself wary of every shift of the human’s hands.

 The eggs were done in only a few minutes and Roman let them slide off the pan and onto two different plates. He kept one, pushing the other halfway towards Logan. For now, he was trying to keep his distance. Even if he knew that wouldn’t last long.

 “Here.”

 Logan wasn’t hungry, but he didn’t want to upset Roman further. So, Logan walked the short distance to the plate and began cutting off small bits of egg for himself with his tool, forcing himself to swallow some down.

 Roman watched as Logan ate, maybe a bit too hesitantly. He sighed, but focused on his own plate of eggs and thought about what he was going to do. He had thought having Logan meet Virgil would have gone a  _lot_  differently than it actually had. In fact, he had planned his whole day around it.

 But now, especially after what had just transpired, he wasn’t sure what to do. He put his empty plate down and leaned against the counter, biting his cheek as he watched Logan. “So…what do you wanna do today?” Roman asked after several long moments of silence. Honestly, he was already ready to put this whole thing behind them.

 Logan was torn. He didn’t want to be honest and set Roman off. But… _“Answer me!” Roman shouted, slamming his palm on the counter…_ Logan shuddered at the memory, and didn’t want to stay silent for fear of repeating that set of events.

 “Why would you ask me that?” Logan sighed, seeing it only as a trick question.

 Roman bit his lip and looked away. “I just thought…” Roman sighed. “I just thought you could choose what we did today, as long as it doesn’t involve…ya know…” Roman said, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn’t really want to bring it up again so soon, but he was still also adamant on Logan staying.

 Logan tried to clear his mind and think of any activity that could help him escape and not arouse Roman’s suspicions, but he came up blank. There was no way Roman would let him out of sight for a second, and even then Logan’s hook was still attached to the side of the couch.

 “Then you’re just setting yourself up for disappointment.” Logan retorted, feeling irritated both at the human and at himself.


	20. Microsoft Nerd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah Logan's life sucks but at least now he gets things like laptops and Hamilton.

 “Oh, well then…” Roman thought for a moment. Even if Logan wasn’t going to choose anything, he still wanted to try and do something he would enjoy. Maybe…

 “How about I show you my laptop?” Yeah, that seemed perfect. Logan could learn all he wanted using the internet, the tiny nerd.

 “Sure.” Logan gave a noncommittal shrug. Though he loathed the idea of spending more time with Roman than necessary, it was clear he wasn’t getting out of here anytime soon. He may as well use the opportunity to his advantage, as Logan had always been curious about human inventions. It certainly beat other activities Roman had suggested in the past.

 “Great!” He reached out and grabbed Logan, only realizing that may have been a bad idea in Logan’s current state only after he was already in his hand. He looked down to gauge the borrowers reaction as he slowly made his way into the bedroom.

 Logan flinched as he was grabbed again, although it shouldn’t have been unexpected. Logan knew he was going to be picked up if they were leaving the room. Nonetheless, the picture in the back of his mind of the very hand now squeezing him just mere minutes ago slamming down threateningly inches away from his person… well, Logan was uneasy to say the least.

 Roman took note of Logan’s discomfort and quickly set him down on the desk before sitting down himself and grabbing his laptop from his bag on the floor. He set it up behind Logan and typed in his password. His desktop popped up, showing himself and Virgil.

 “Alright, it’s all yours, go at it.” He said, sitting back with his arms crossed.

 Logan looked down at the surface at his feet and the glowing screen in front of him. It was hard to know where to begin, but Logan figured he’d learn how to use this machine the same way he learned all his best borrowing techniques: trial and error.

 With one foot, Logan began testing out a few of the buttons, noticing no change on the screen. However, he found that if he traced his foot along one part, a small arrow would move in the same pattern as his foot. Fascinating. But then what were all the other buttons for?

 Logan moved the arrow over towards the smaller pictures on the screen, seeing that they got a box around them to signify some sort of significance. With one such icon highlighted, Logan once again began pressing keys to see if there was some result. It was only after his foot slipped that Logan found another button, and with a loud * _click_ * the screen changed entirely.

 Roman smiled in amusement as he watched Logan trying to navigate the computer. When it took him five minutes to simply open up chrome, he decided to help. Or at the very least nudge him in the right direction.

 “Congratulations. You are now on the internet.” Roman pointed to the search bar. “If you click here and type something in, like a question, the internet should answer/bring it up for you.” It was only then that something occurred to Roman. And actually, he was surprised he hadn’t brought it up sooner.

 “Wait, you can write, right? And read?” If not, he might have to help out more than he thought.

 “Of course I can  _read_.” Logan scoffed, rolling his eyes. He moved the little white arrow to the place Roman indicated, using the * _click_ * button once more to create a flashing line. Logan looked across the many alphabet keys, trying to decide what question he wanted answers to first. Glancing at the other unfamiliar buttons, Logan knew what question should be prioritized.

 He carefully began to type out his question: “ _how to use laptop._ ”

 Roman raised an eyebrow. “Uh…Dude, I’m right here.”

 Logan looked back at Roman briefly. “I know.” He looked back to the screen, unfortunately finding the instructions unhelpful. They seemed to deal with the process of setting up a laptop, which it seems Roman already did. But what came next? Catching an unfamiliar word amongst the glowing text, Logan decided to use the internet to research its meaning: “ _what is a computer._ ”

 Roman blinked. He facepalmed whilst holding back his chuckles. Wow, Logan sure was clueless about this kind of stuff. It was not surprising, though it was a bit strange considering he had already categorized Logan as a nerd in his mind. He decided to keep quiet, letting Logan continue on his own.

 Logan frowned, finding even more confusing text in this definition. Binary? Calculating Machine? But Logan recognized the term ‘laptop’ again. Somehow the two were definitely related. It was possible that they were in fact different terms for the same object. Humans tended to do that a lot, give objects multiple names for the sake of having more names. They did it to each other too, giving out trivial things like last names and nicknames.

 To test his theory, Logan returned to his new favorite tool and typed in his query: “ _is laptop different than computer._ ”

 “Oh my gosh, I literally cannot take this anymore.” Roman said, running a hand down his face. “No, a laptop and computer are the same, a laptop is just portable. Can you  _please_  search something more interesting now?”

 “Just because you already seem to know this doesn’t mean it’s not interesting.” Logan scanned the screen, confirming Roman’s answer. It was strange to think of a laptop as portable, given its size, but Logan supposed he had seen Roman move it about on several occasions.

 “Logan, this stuff is common knowledge. Er, at least to humans.” He forgot for a second that Logan wasn’t, in fact, human and to him this stuff really  _wasn’t_ common. “Here, how about you try searching up Hamilton.” Roman suggested, grinning.

 Logan sighed, but he appeased Roman by typing it in. Logan read up the brief explanation provided, realizing that it was some form of musical group. “…I don’t get it.” Logan confessed, not seeing what was so interesting.

 “Maybe not yet, but just click on this link right here.” Roman said, pointing towards a YouTube link that he knew would take Logan to the Hamilton album. He briefly brought his arm around to make sure the volume was low enough before letting Logan go at it.

 Logan leaned away from Roman’s arm, but it was gone just as quickly as it came. Then he pulled the little white arrow over, clicking on what Roman had indicated. It took a few moments for anything to happen, and for a second Logan was concerned it was broken. Just then music began to sound from the device, causing Logan to jump. Luckily, this music was far from the volume in Roman’s car. And in fact, Logan found this music more…pleasing.

 “By that look on your face and lack of complaint, I’d take it you like it?” Roman asked, grinning.

 “Shh!” Logan shushed him, trying to pay close attention to the lyrics. The story being told was intriguing, and Logan didn’t want to miss a word.

 Roman put his hands up and leaned back, allowing Logan-and himself-to listen and enjoy the music.


	21. Rescue Attempt Number 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil returns to Roman's appartment on his own.

Virgil rushed back to his apartment quickly and carefully, all the while having an internal debate with himself.  _Are you sure you’re doing the right thing? You just left Logan back there alone after riling up Roman. But you had to protect Patton… Why should Patton forgive you? You’ve only made matters worse. You charged head first into a situation unprepared and you were unsuccessful again. You never do anything right._

 Not for the first time Virgil wished there weren’t so many stairs between his and Roman’s apartment. Slightly out of breath, Virgil reached the 1st floor, pulling out his apartment key and heading inside.

 “Are you okay?” Virgil asked, holding up his hands to see how Patton was faring. 

 Patton wasn’t actually sure. Though he was leaning more towards no, instead of answering he looked up at Virgil with sad eyes. “Why would Roman do that to Logan? Logan…Logan  _definitely_  doesn’t want to be there!” He knew a lot of humans weren’t…good to his kind, but he had held out a bit of hope that Roman would be different. He was Virgil’s friend after all! But it appeared that he was wrong.

 He wished he could have said more, or anything at all, when they were there. But he had been too afraid of Roman to speak up for himself and Logan. He felt bad.

 “Well…” Virgil bit his lip, trying to find a good answer. “Um… Roman can be pretty stubborn, and uh, I guess he just… kinda wants to…” Virgil coughed awkwardly, not wanting to make Patton embarrassed or mad at him personally. “I mean, you gotta understand that Roman and I, we’ve never met borrowers before. And so  _Roman_ -” Virgil clenched his teeth slightly, feeling a bit of his anger return, “- is doing what a lot of humans would do, because he refuses to understand what’s new and instead wants to keep Logan around to, I dunno, admire him or something else dumb.”

 Patton looked down, mind going back to the what if Virgil had been like that against his will. He hesitated before asking. “Did… _you_  ever think about…keeping me?”

 “No!” Virgil responded on instinct to comfort him, but his mind began to race.  _Did I? When you first saw Patton you just wanted to grab him, and look at you now. You won’t even put him down. You’re no better than Roman._

 “No, I…I didn’t.” Virgil repeated, a little less sure.  _No, you didn’t- you just wanted to convince him to stay here forever so you didn’t feel guilty. You grew attached. What’s gonna happen when he wants to leave you just like everyone else?_

 Patton’s eyes widened when he noticed the panic in his features and the unsureness in his tone. “Sorry kiddo, I know you didn’t. I was just…thinking about the what if’s. But please don’t beat yourself up kiddo, you don’t deserve it.” Patton reassured the human, giving him a soft smile.

 “No, I…it’s okay.” Virgil shook his head to clear his thoughts, looking down at Patton. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m just a little shaken from all…that.” He gestured towards his door with his free hand.

 “Yeah…I am too.” Patton said, sighing. “You don’t think Roman would actually  _hurt_  him do you? Like, keeping him is bad in and of itself, but…” Logan had looked a bit beat up, but it was hard to tell from where he had been.

 “I- don’t know.” Virgil winced. “I mean, normally, Roman’s a pretty okay guy. But uh, he’s not very careful, and you witnessed a taste of how stubborn he gets, sooo…I’m more worried about what kind of accident could happen to Logan.”

 Patton looked down, hands clenching. “We…We  _have_  to get Logan back! Before something like that happens!” Patton announced, looking up at Virgil, this time with pleading eyes.

 “Yeah, yeah no of course!” Virgil agreed, getting himself back into action mode. He looked around his apartment. “But I don’t want you getting hurt, so maybe you could just stay here? And I’ll go get Logan.”

 “What? But-!” Patton cut himself off when he again thought of Roman. He winced. “Actually, yeah, maybe it is best that I stay here.” He agreed.

 “Okay, where should I, um, where do you want to go?” Virgil asked, glad that Patton agreed. He didn’t want Patton to be in danger when it wasn’t necessary. That would only cause more anxiety.

 “Oh! Uh, could you put me in the living room? I want to know right when you get home.” Patton said. He didn’t want to miss anything when Virgil came back, hopefully with Logan.

 “Yeah, sounds good.” Virgil set Patton down on the coffee table carefully. Once that was done, he headed back to the front door. “Be back soon.” He assured Patton, trying to reassure himself as well.

 “Okay. Be careful!” Patton called out. He hadn’t missed how the two humans had been close to physically fighting one another.

 Virgil nodded, locking his door for safety and heading back up all those flights of stairs. This gave him plenty of time to try and sike himself out of this.  _Roman’s stronger than you. It’s his apartment and you’ll be trespassing. If he wants to do this there’s nothing you can do to stop him._

 Virgil sprinted up the last few stairs, hastening his pace. He paused at Roman’s door to catch his breath, debating briefly between knocking and just entering. Virgil figured Roman wouldn’t let him in, so he just let himself in with his key since the door had indeed been locked. He glanced around the living room, spotting the couch laying on its side. That was weird. Had it been like that earlier? Virgil couldn’t remember.

 Virgil heard some noise coming from Roman’s room. If Roman was in there, Logan probably wasn’t far. Virgil paused, not one for confrontation usually despite his morning behavior.

 _Do it for Patton._  With this thought, Virgil marched into Roman’s room.

 Roman’s head snapped over to the door when it swung open, standing up when he saw who it was. “Virgil?!” He glanced from Logan to Virgil, knowing what his friend was here to do and wondering what he should do to stop it.

 Logan’s head whipped around to face Virgil, and Virgil realized he couldn’t let Logan get hurt either. Virgil’s confidence deflated slightly. He couldn’t use direct confrontation; he had to be careful about this.

 “…Hi.” Virgil greeted, stepping closer.

 Roman narrowed his eyes. “I’m not letting you take him.” Roman said, cutting straight to the point.

 Virgil frowned. So much for diplomacy. “Well I’m not leaving without him.”

 “This is my apartment. If I want you to leave, you will leave. Empty-handed.” Roman said through grit teeth, glaring. He was trying to stay calm and he hated fighting with Virgil, but he couldn’t lose Logan.

 “Fine.” Virgil put his hands up in surrender. “Logan doesn’t have to come with me. But at least let him leave too.”

 “I  _can’t_.”  _Calm breaths, in and out. Don’t get angry again._

 “Why not?” Virgil said exasperatedly. “C’mon, Roman, let’s just talk about this.”

 Talk? Okay, yeah. Roman could talk, he had his own questions to ask Virgil about anyway. But… “Fine, but we talk back at your place and Logan stays here.”

 “Uh…” Virgil was conflicted. On the one hand, he was glad Roman seemed willing to talk. On the other hand, Patton was still back at his apartment and he didn’t want the borrower getting involved; that’s the whole reason he left Patton behind in the first place.

 “Yeah, sure, whatever.” Virgil finally agreed, not wanting to set Roman off by asking questions now.

 “Great.” Roman turned back around and grabbed Logan, shutting the laptop in the process. He went over to the nightstand, where the tin box still was, and set Logan inside. He took one last look at the borrower, before going to stand and Virgil’s side. He waved in the direction of the door.

 “After you.” He wanted to make sure Virgil left first.

 Virgil rolled his eyes, walking out the door towards the stairs.

 Logan huffed as he was placed back into his tin box, once again missing his hook. Now would be a perfect opportunity to make a run for it if he were only properly equipped.

 It seemed Roman felt uncomfortable discussing his fate with Logan around; after all, clearly Logan wasn’t allowed a say. Still, Logan was wise enough not to debate with Roman now. His only hope was if Virgil could somehow convince Roman to let him go. It felt strange having his fate discussed and not being able to hear the conversation. It was almost worse than Roman’s yelling at Virgil this morning.

 Logan shuddered, trying to keep his mind occupied on other thoughts to keep his growing anxiety at bay. What was going to happen to him?

 Roman followed Virgil out, locking the door behind him. The two traveled in silence.


	22. A Peace Conference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone, let's just take a chill pill and hear Patton out, okay?

Patton almost wished he had asked Virgil to turn on the TV before he left. It would have at least distracted him from this waiting game. And though he was usually pretty patient, this was about getting Logan back after all.

 Patton perked up when he heard the door unlock. He raced over to the edge as it opened and smiled when he saw Virgil. He immediately looked down at Virgil’s hands, but they were empty. And then,  _Roman_  entered behind him and Patton felt his heart race. He glanced down at the other human’s hands, but they, too, were empty.

 Patton, of course, trusted Virgil. But  _why_  would he bring Roman back here? And  _where_  was Logan?

 “No touching, Roman.” Virgil pointed an irritated finger at Roman before turning to Patton. “Sorry, he, ah, wanted to talk things out here I guess.”

 Roman raised his hands up in a surrender, while Patton sent a nervous smile to Virgil. “Oh okay, but uh..where’s Logan?” Patton asked.

 “He’s back at my place.” Roman said. “I wanted to talk…without him.”

 “Uh huh.” Virgil watched their interaction carefully. “Anyways, we’ll just go to my room so we can leave you alone, Pat.” Virgil began to tug Roman by the arm towards his room.

 Roman took his arm back fairly easily. “Half of who I want to speak to is Patton.”

 Patton went from feeling relief to Virgil saying they were going to a different room, to nervous all over again. Why did Roman want to speak with him?

 “Patton doesn’t want to talk to you.” Virgil said automatically, before realizing he was doing what he had scolded Roman for this morning. “I mean, uh-!” Virgil turned to crouch down next to the coffee table, looking apologetic. “Sorry Pat, I didn’t mean to speak for you, I just assumed…” His voice got quieter, speaking only to the borrower. “You don’t have to talk to him if you don’t want to.”

 “It’s okay.” Patton said, smiling softly. This was why he trusted Virgil. He looked up at Roman for a moment before letting out a shaky sigh. “I want to…hear him out first. I’ll let you know if things get too much and I want to stop talking.” Patton told Virgil.

 “Alright.” Virgil nodded, looking over to Roman. He pointed to the other end of the coffee table. “Patton says he’ll hear you out, but you’ve gotta sit over there.”

 “Alright.” Roman moved until he was sat where Virgil was pointing. He looked at Virgil, before his eyes settled on Patton. “What made you come back to Virgil?”

 Patton’s eyes widened at the question, that hadn’t been what he was expecting, but he thought it over. “Uh, well, Virgil seemed really nice. Different from the humans I had heard about and I just…I don’t know, wanted to?” His decision to come back had been all feeling based. Roman nodded.

 “But you realize that you have a good thing with Virgil, right?” Roman pressed on. Patton furrowed his eyebrows, the conversation was starting to sound familiar.

 “I mean…I guess, but-” Roman cut him off.

 “You realize that Virgil can provide you with food and safety and everything else that you never had, right?”

 “I-”

 “So you agree that being with Virgil is for the better and by default,  _Logan_ staying with  _me_  is for the better, right?” Roman said, leaning forward. Patton scooted back, fear clear on his face. He didn’t at all like how Roman was talking over him, cutting him off and not letting him speak. Was this what he did with Logan?

 “V-Virgil!” He called out, looking up at the human that he trusted for help.

 “Roman, cut it out.” Virgil scolded, leaning forward as well to protectively put his arms around Patton. “You’re not even letting Patton speak, and you’re just trying to force him to agree with you. Shut up and have a normal conversation or we’re going to the bedroom.”

 “Fine.” Roman huffed. Maybe he  _did_  go a little overboard. He turned to Patton again. “Do you agree with me?” He asked simply and sat back to let Patton speak.

 Patton looked away from Virgil and towards Roman nervously. He took in a breath, as long as Virgil was there, Roman couldn’t do anything. “Sort of…? I mean, no, not in the way you’re doing it. With me and Virgil, we have an understanding and trust.” Patton smiled softly. “Virgil helped me and let me go the first time we met and treated me like an equal. When I came back and Virgil offered me things like food and entertainment, I accepted, but not because I can’t take care of myself. But because I recognized a friend wanting to help out another friend.” Patton took in another breath, this next part would be harder to say to the short tempered human.

 “But…I don’t think you’re treating Logan like an equal. You aren’t taking into account what he wants and your whole reason is because Logan  _can’t_  take care of himself, when that just isn’t true.” Patton shook his head. “So, no. I guess I don’t agree with you.”

 Roman blinked and then blinked again, taking in what Patton said. “Oh…” He suddenly felt…not good.

 From the look on Roman’s face, it seemed Patton’s words were working. “Roman, I get that you’re trying to do the right thing here or whatever.” Virgil spoke up. “But maybe you’ve just been neglecting Logan’s perspective on all this.”

 “I…But-” Roman ran a hand down his face in frustration. But this time he wasn’t frustrated with Virgil, Patton, Logan or whoever. He was frustrated with himself.

 “You can’t just… _keep_  him.” Virgil explained. “If you really want to help Logan, you’ve got to let Logan decide if he even wants your help.”

 “But if I let him go, he…I know he won’t come back.” Roman said, almost looking sad.

 “…Well, you don’t know for sure.” Virgil said with a half-hearted shrug. Really Virgil knew Logan would probably sprint far away from this building, but he figured that would be a fair reaction.

 Roman sent Virgil a deadpan look. “After everything I’ve done? And all the times he’s tried to escape?” Roman scoffed. “I’m  _pretty_  sure he would never come back.”

 “Well could you blame him?” Virgil raised an eyebrow at the mention of escape attempts. What had been going on in Roman’s head?

 Roman thought back to just earlier that morning and sighed. “…No.” He looked to Patton, who even after standing up to Roman to essentially tell him off in the kindest way possible, was still looking at him with worry and fear. As if he would go off any second or snatch him up too.

 Roman stood up and silently headed towards the door. Patton flinched back when he stood, but then watched in confusion as it seemed he was about to leave. Patton looked up at Virgil to see his reaction.

 Virgil eyed his friend a bit warily, unsure if they had managed to convince Roman or not. “So?” Virgil asked.

 Roman paused, hand on the doorknob. “…You guys are right.” And with that, Roman left.

 Patton blinked, looking up at Virgil. “Does that mean he’s gonna let Logan go?”

 “Yeah, I think so.” Virgil affirmed. “I mean, he likes to be dramatic, but I’m almost 99% sure that he’s gonna go let Logan go now.”

 Patton felt a relieved smile appear on his face. “That’s good.” Patton thought for a moment. “I think I’m gonna head into the walls and wait to meet up with Logan.” Patton said, already getting out his hook.

 “Sounds good.” Virgil gave his friend a small smile, daring to get excited. Maybe they really had done it. “Do you, um, need a ride anywhere?”

 Patton paused in unfurling his hook, before smiling. “Nah, I got it. But thanks, kiddo!” He then swiftly climbed down the table using his hook, storing it back up before heading towards his way into the walls. He called out behind him to Virgil. “I’ll be back later!”

 “Oh, okay!” Virgil waved goodbye to his friend. He was relieved to hear that Patton would be coming back; after everything with Logan, Virgil was nervous he wouldn’t see his tiny friend again.

 Patton waved back, before heading into the walls and towards Logan’s home. He would return, hopefully with Logan in tow.


	23. Is this for real?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're not pulling our own leg, right? Logan's really being let go??? Aren't there a bunch more chapters left or something?

 Roman paused to collect his thoughts outside of his apartment. He had already decided on what he was going to do, but that didn’t make it any less difficult. But Patton’s words had hit him hard and though he hated to admit it to himself, he was in the wrong. Logan didn’t deserve all this.

 Roman entered his home and headed towards the room. He looked in the tin, only half relieved to see Logan inside. It would have made this a lot easier if Logan had simply escaped. He gave Logan an awkward wave and his other hand rubbed the back of his neck. “Hey.”

 Logan looked up, confused at Roman’s behavior. He had expected Roman to come back either raging or sulking. “…Hello?” Logan replied in a questioning tone.

 “I wanna talk to you.” Roman said, getting straight into it. He hesitated before grabbing Logan. Grabbing the tin with him inside probably would have been better, but Roman knew this would be the last time he held Logan.

 “Alright, about what?” Logan’s tone was still guarded, even as his mind raced to explain Roman’s strange behavior. Even his grip seemed more gentle than before.

 Roman set Logan down on the desk before sitting down himself. He sighed. “So I talked to Virgil…and Patton.”

 “Is Patton alright?” Logan asked, his eyes getting a shade darker.

 Roman nodded. “He’s fine, I didn’t even go near him and he’s free to come and go as he pleases.”

 “As he should be.” Logan stated with a pointed look, still a bit skeptical that things were so nice for Patton.

 “Yeah.” Roman said, wincing. “I know.”

 Logan’s eyebrows raised significantly at that. “You do?” Was it possible that Virgil and Patton were successful? Logan didn’t think anything could penetrate Roman’s thick skull at the rate things had been going.

 “Yeah…But before we get into all that, I-I need to know something.” One last thing, for Roman to understand fully. He looked Logan in the eye. “What’s it like?”

 “What’s what like?” Logan asked, tilting his head slightly.

 “Being small! Being with me! Being small while being with me! I-I won’t interrupt or do anything, I just, I need to know. I need to  _understand_.”

 Logan shifted uncomfortably, thrown off by the question. He wasn’t fond of sharing information about himself, especially because he could potentially be putting other borrowers at risk. But would Roman still let him go if he didn’t answer? Was Roman even planning on letting him go at all, or was this all just an elaborate plan to get Logan to talk? Logan certainly wouldn’t put it past a human, even one as dull as Roman.

 “Well for starters, I’m not small.” Logan began, deciding to speak in generics as much as possible. Even if this was a trick, he didn’t want to anger Roman. “Humans are just absurdly large.”

 Roman tried hard not roll his eyes. “You know what I meant.” His eyes turned sad, seeing what was happening. “Please, Logan. This isn’t a trick and I promise I won’t get mad. I just…need to know.”

 Logan trusted Roman about as far as he could throw him, which also was a very bizarre scale for measuring trust. He crossed his arms subconsciously. “It’s…tedious.”  _Terrifying._  “It’s frustrating having your every action and move dictated by an unyielding force who won’t listen to logic. All the while there’s also the.. constant dangers of bodily harm or speaking out of turn, which doesn’t lend itself to a very pleasant experience. A rather unpleasant one, actually.”

 Roman felt a shiver go through him at Logan’s explanation. The way he explained it, it sounded absolutely  _terrifying_. He also winced, knowing he was the cause of everything Logan was talking about. “I’m…so sorry.”

 Logan was surprised to see sincerity in Roman’s facial features. Of course, he knew that an apology was more than justified, but he never expected to actually hear one from this human bean.

 “I-” Roman sighed, rubbing at his eyes. “When I first found you I saw you as nothing more than a pet, I even told you as such. Then, slowly, I realized you were more than a pet. You were a person, but I still couldn’t let you go. I made the excuse I was doing this for you, to give you a better life, but really I just…didn’t want you to leave.” Roman looked away.

 “And then I kept getting annoyed whenever you tried to escape, because when you did there was a part of me that knew letting you leave was the right choice, but I still  _couldn’t_  let you go. At that point I convinced myself you would be better off here. It-It took me talking to Patton and Virgil to realize that isn’t the case.”

 “And I hurt you and scared you all because I was being stupid and not listening to you, or Patton or Virgil.” Roman met Logan’s eyes again. “So again, I am so  _so_  sorry. For seeing you as something less than, for hurting you, for scaring and for…and for keeping you here.”

 Logan didn’t know how to respond. It seemed as though Roman had had a rapid change of heart; likely the work of Patton, who seemed to have that effect on others. But Logan was never good with emotions, and this rambling apology was difficult for the borrower to digest. He agreed that Roman was in the wrong. He still didn’t forgive Roman for his actions. What, then, was one meant to say in retaliation?

 “Are you finally going to let me leave, then?” Logan dared to hope.

 Roman smiled sadly, he expected he wouldn’t be forgiven, but Roman deserved that. “Yeah, I am.” He dug in his pocket and brought out Logan’s hook, something he had grabbed right before entering his room. He placed it on the desk in front of Logan.

 Logan’s eyes widened at his hook, laying right in front of him. He hadn’t expected to see it again for a while, and assumed Roman would take it hostage again. But if Roman was giving it back willingly, then perhaps this really was his chance.

 Logan picked up his hook, looking up at Roman. Was this another trap to try and find his borrower hole? Still, this wasn’t a chance Logan could waste. Even if it was a trap, maybe he could sprint inside before Roman could stop him.

 Keeping a careful eye on Roman, Logan wondered if the human would try to stop him. Logan went to the back corner of the desk, putting his hook into place and beginning to grapple down.

 Roman simply watched, staying exactly where he was. He even made an effort to not even twitch, knowing it could cause Logan to panic and think he was about to stop him.

 Logan stopped on the ground, flicking his wrist to cause the hook to sail back down into his hand. Wasting no time, Logan began to jog along the edge of the desk pressed against the wall, heading to the center. There Logan pressed a hand against the wall, causing it to reveal his hidden borrower passageway.

 Logan glanced back at Roman’s feet behind him, still unnaturally stoic. He couldn’t believe it- Roman was truly letting him go. In all his planning, all his escape attempts, not once did Logan even consider the possibility of the human bean letting him go freely, especially after acknowledging all his wrongdoings. Surely Roman did so even with the knowledge that Logan would never come back.

 Of course, why would Logan ever do anything else? Logan closed the entrance to the outside world. Turning on his heel, Logan began to sprint the rest of the way down the passageway, feeling the familiar path under his feet in the darkness.

 Roman waited a few extra minutes before moving and kneeling down to look under the desk. No sign of Logan anywhere. Which could only mean he was truly gone. Roman sighed as he stood up. This was the right thing to do and Roman knew that.

 But that didn’t mean Roman wasn’t going to miss him.


	24. Just dropping in to say hi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan gets ready to move, but Patton insists he properly meets Virgil first.

 Patton was still on his way to Logan’s home when he heard fast paced footsteps coming from up ahead. His eyes widened and he started to run towards the noise. “Logan?!”

 Logan turned the corner, startled to see his best friend just outside his home in the walls. “Patton!” In Logan’s jubilance at his newfound freedom he did something unexpected and rushed towards Patton, initiating a hug. “Thank goodness you’ve made it out as well!”

 “Whoa!” Patton exclaimed, surprised Logan was hugging him. He wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth though and quickly wrapped his hands around Logan to return the hug. What Logan said made Patton a bit confused though. “Of course I did?”

 Logan pulled away slightly to look Patton in the eye. “How did you manage it?”

 Patton tilted his head. “I told Virgil I was gonna go and then left?”

 “I’m surprised he let you go so willingly.” Logan murmured. Perhaps Virgil truly was a more respectable bean. “Nonetheless, we have no time to waste.” Logan pulled away from Patton, heading to open his front door. “Are you packed yet?”

 “Packed? Packed for what?” Patton said, still very confused as he followed Logan inside his home.

 “We have to move, Patton.” Logan reminded him, beginning to grab out his bags that were prepped for an emergency move such as this one. He grabbed another empty sack, walking around the house and throwing necessary items inside.

 “What?! But we  _can’t_  leave, what about Virgil?!” He couldn’t just up and leave his new friend.

 Logan paused, just about to put a button into his sack. “What about Virgil?” Logan repeated, turning to his friend. “Patton, do you even hear what you’re saying?”

 Patton slowly realized that Logan was judging Virgil based on Roman and started to explain. “I know, but Virgil is nice! No, he’s even  _better_  than nice. He treats me like an equal and doesn’t keep me from leaving. I  _trust_  him.”

 Logan pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up slightly in the process. Of course Patton would be the kind of borrower to try and make friends with a human. “Patton, I get that you trust this bean. But you know the borrower rules. It’s for your own safety that you move. And if Virgil is really as great as you believe, he would want what’s best for you as well.”

 Patton frowned. “But  _I don’t_  want to leave him.” Patton became determined, knowing there was only one way to change his mind. “You should  _meet_  him! Then you’ll see what I mean.”

 “Patton, I’ve already met him.” Logan reminded him, albeit the meeting was brief and without true introductions. “And quite frankly, I have had as much contact with human beans as I ever want to have in my life. Too much, in fact.”

 “Not really! And I know, but  _please_. At least give him a chance, he helped convince Roman to let you go after all.” Not only did he want to stop them from moving, but it would be so awesome if Patton could get his two friends to become friends themselves.

 “Yes, and that was very gracious of him.” Logan conceded. “But the fact remains that he’s a human bean. That makes him dangerous by default.”

 “But he’s so gentle!” Patton exclaimed. “You should see how worried he gets when he thinks he  _did_  do something, even though he didn’t.” Patton pouted and hit Logan with the puppy dog eyes. “Please Logan?  _Please!_ ”

 Logan realized Patton wasn’t about to take no for an answer. He didn’t want to leave without Patton, so perhaps it was best if he just appeased Patton for the sake of moving out faster. Logan didn’t want to spend another night in the walls so close to Roman. “…Fine.” Logan said. “We’ll stop by the vents of his apartment to take a peek before heading to your house to pack.”

 Patton grinned. “Okay!” Though secretly, Patton knew he wasn’t just going to stand and watch. Oh no, Logan would be introduced to Virgil, one way or the other. “Let’s go!” Patton said, grabbing onto Logan’s wrist and pulling.

 Logan abandoned his own packing for now, allowing his friend to drag him along inside the walls. With every step Logan felt a queasy feeling in his stomach growing, knowing he was moving closer to another encounter with a human bean.

 When they reached the vent Patton let go, peeking down to see if Virgil was in his room. Sure enough, there he was. In bed, looking at his phone. The scene was familiar and put a smile on his face. Patton also noticed the lack of headphones, which he assumed was for him, so Virgil could hear him when he came back as promised. He looked to Logan for his reaction.

 Logan balanced himself carefully on the ceiling vent’s bars and looked down at the human bean. He didn’t look particularly threatening, but then again no one would just laying in bed. Logan could still picture Virgil’s enraged snarl telling Roman off, saying he wasn’t going to leave without Logan, and he knew even this seemingly harmless bean was a force to be avoided.

 “Yes, he seems lovely.” Logan said quietly to Patton, standing up to walk back along the bars. He was careful not to tumble into the vent itself, lest he take a nasty tumble to the bedroom floor below. “Now let’s go.”

 Patton figured this was his only chance and so turned to face the vent opening and cupped his hands over his mouth. “Virgil!”

 “Patton!” Logan hissed, ducking to the side of the vent and out of sight. But the deed was already done, and Logan watched as the human bean turned his head up toward them.

 “Patton?” Virgil got out of bed, walking over to the vent in the ceiling where he had heard Patton’s voice. He stood just underneath it, craning his neck to look directly up at the borrower. “What are you doing up there?”

 “Just decided to go another way.” He said, shrugging. “And look, I brought Logan!” He grabbed Logan’s wrist and tugged him into sight.

 Logan wanted to yank his hand away, but when his eyes met the human’s, suddenly his body completely froze up.

 “Oh, good!” Virgil was happy to see that Roman had indeed let Logan go. However, taking a second look, Logan wasn’t looking too good. “Uh… is he okay?”

 “Mhm?” Patton hummed, before turning to Logan and noticing he looked terrified. It was then that Patton realized, maybe taking him to see a human after all that he had been through was a bad idea. Even if that human would never harm either of them. “Oh, Logan! I’m sorry, are you okay?”

 Logan tore his eyes away, looking at Patton and trying to ignore the familiar tingling sensation of being watched by human eyes. “I… I’m fine.” Logan lied.

 Patton frowned and watched his friend sadly. It seemed Logan was more affected from his time with Roman than he had realized. “I’m sorry, Lo. I shouldn’t have forced you into this.”

 Virgil shifted uncomfortably beneath the vent, not quite sure what was going on but still sure he had done something wrong.

 Logan had to get out of here and clear his head, he wasn’t thinking straight. He quickly tried to step back out of sight, but Logan forgot to watch his footing. In his haste, Logan’s foot went right between the slats of the vent, and a second later the rest of Logan followed.

 “Logan!” Patton exclaimed, trying to reach out but he wasn’t fast enough.

 “Woah!” Virgil reached out as he watched the borrower tumble out of the vent, miraculously catching Logan in his palms. Virgil could feel his own heart racing from the scare, so he couldn’t imagine how Logan felt. “Um, oh my gosh, uh, are you alright?”

 Logan felt the breath completely knocked out of him as he landed, and even if he wanted to answer Virgil he couldn’t.

 Patton breathed a sigh of relief when Virgil caught him. “Is he okay?!” He called down.

 “Uh, well, I’m not sure…” Virgil held Logan higher for Patton to see him. “I mean he seems okay? I think?”  _You hurt him._

 “Okay, uh, I’ll be down in a moment!” And with that, Patton started to sprint off down the path that would lead to inside Virgil’s room.

 Virgil pulled his hands back towards his chest, looking down at the borrower and trying not to panic. He didn’t want to freak Logan out further. “Um, okay, uh…” Virgil looked around his room, trying to figure out what would be best. Should he set Logan down somewhere? Or would moving him more be a bad idea? Should he get him some ice, or a warm towel? Did he need to grab the med kit from the bathroom?

 “Patton’s gonna be here in just a second.” Virgil focused on reassuring Logan. “Just…try to keep calm and take some deep breaths.”

 Realizing he was alone with the human only made Logan’s anxieties heighten, but the logical side of his brain knew that it was important to calm down lest he cause more harm to himself through stress. So, Logan tried to do as Virgil suggested. He took slow, deep breaths, focusing on his breathing instead of the unwanted familiar feeling of human hands.

 “Yeah, good that’s it.” Virgil smiled slightly when it seemed Logan was calming down.

 Patton made it to Virgil’s room in record time. He was panting pretty heavily, but that didn’t stop him from using his hook to climb up the nightstand. He figured Virgil’s hands were too full with Logan to help him up anywhere. He decided to leave his hook where it was as he turned to catch Virgil’s attention.

 “Virgil! Over here!” He called out, waving.

 “Patton!” Virgil said, relieved to see his tiny friend. He walked over, putting his palms down on the nightstand next to Patton. “I-I wasn’t sure what to do, I didn’t want to do anything to make things worse… but I’ve got some stuff around the house if it’ll help.”

 Logan took the opportunity to shakily exit Virgil’s palms, legs unsteady beneath him.

 “It’s okay kiddo, you did great.” Patton noticed Logan wobbling and went over to help hold him up. “You okay Lo? Do you need anything?” Patton asked, voice dripped in concern.

 “I’m fine.” Logan waved him off, feeling his confidence returning now that he was back on his own two feet. “I’ve suffered far worse recently; this was mostly shock factor and less physical harm.” Logan looked towards Virgil, not quite meeting his gaze. Now that it was over Logan was a bit embarrassed about his slip up. “Thank you for…your assistance.”

 “Oh, yeah, no problem man.” Virgil replied, trying to play it off like no big deal for Logan’s sake.  _Since when do you call people ‘man’?_  “Are you sure you don’t want an ice pack or something though?”

 An ice pack sounded wonderful for his aching back, but Logan wasn’t one for charity; especially after Roman’s speech about how Logan should learn to accept human’s help. “I’m  _fine_.” Logan insisted, slightly harsher than intended.

 “Oh, sorry!” Virgil quickly raised his hands to show he meant no harm, which actually had the adverse effect of causing Logan to flinch out of instinct. Virgil winced. _You’re screwing everything up again._

 Patton frowned, knowing Logan was lying. But Patton couldn’t fault Logan for not asking for help, not only was that something he had done already, but after being with Roman for so long…Well, Patton could see why Logan would loath to ask for a human’s help. He looked up at Virgil.

 “Actually Virgil, I think it might be best for Logan to have that ice pack after all.” Patton said, adjusting his grip on his friend slightly.

 Logan sent a small sideways glare towards his friend.

 “Yeah, okay, cool.” Virgil took a few slow steps backwards, thinking the two might just need a moment alone. “I’ll…get right on that. Be back in a minute.” With this, Virgil turned on his heel and practically sprinted out the door.


	25. Don't Worry, Virgil's Chill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton tries to convince Logan that Virgil is nice enough to not force them to move.

As Virgil left, Patton bit his lip and turned to Logan. “Here, let’s sit you down.” Patton said, helping Logan over to the alarm clock so they could both sit on top of it.

 “Patton…” Logan sighed, but he allowed Patton to lead him over to the clock. “We should really be going.”

 “I know it’s the rules.” Patton said, sighing. “But I don’t know if I can.” He paused for a moment, shifting in his seat.

 “And I’m…sorry for bringing you here. I should have realized you weren’t okay enough to meet Virgil. I mean, you just escaped a rather bad human after all.” Patton apologized, looking away.

 “It’s not your fault.” Logan shrugged. “I should have known my own limits as well. I didn’t expect it to be such an issue.”

 Patton hummed, turning back to look at Logan. “If you don’t think you can handle being around Virgil we can go back to my place or your place and you can rest? It uh, it looks like you need it.” Patton said. Now that he was closer and actually paying attention, he could see the bruises on Logan’s exposed skin. Patton didn’t even want to think about how bad it was under his clothes.

 “I can handle it.” Noticing Patton’s looks, Logan pulled his arms a little closer to himself. “Besides, I don’t want to leave you here alone either.”

 Patton raised an eyebrow. “Logan, I’ve been alone with Virgil this whole time. I’m not in any danger.” Patton explained.

 “Yet.” Logan warned, before looking over at the doorway when he heard a creak.  _Speak of the devil._

 “Uh, I got the ice pack.” Virgil peeked his head in the door. “I also didn’t know if you needed to, like, wrap it in a washcloth or something, so I grabbed that too.”

 Patton smiled and jumped off the alarm clock. “Thanks kiddo! Go ahead and bring it over here.”

 “Okay.” Virgil made sure to keep his movements much slower and deliberate. He set the ice pack down on the nightstand, draping the washcloth over part of it.

 Logan stood up, knowing that he might as well use the ice pack if he was going to be here a while. He sat down next to it, leaning back onto it with a slight shiver. It was cold, but it helped numb the throbbing.

 Based on the slight look of relief on Logan’s face, Patton assumed the ice was working. He turned to Virgil. “Thanks again kiddo, I think this will really help.” His smile soon turned into a small frown, though. “Logan’s pretty beaten up though.” Patton grit his teeth.

 “How could Roman-how could  _anyone_ -do that to someone?” Patton asked aloud, to no one in particular.

 “He wasn’t thinking.” Logan said simply, not wanting to dwell on it especially in front of Virgil.

 “Yeah, but still.” Virgil scoffed and crossed his arms, feeling his irritation at Roman returning full force. He glared at a blank space on the wall. “That’s hardly an excuse.”

 “I wasn’t making excuses for him.” Logan said irritably.

 Realizing his mistake, Virgil was quick to make amends. “Oh, I didn’t think you were!” He said hastily. “I just meant, well, ignorance isn’t innocence, you know?”

 “…Yes.” Logan would have put it exactly the same way. He furrowed his eyebrows, now a bit more curious about Virgil. He was certainly a strange bean.

 “So…were they all an accident?” Patton asked, tilting his head slightly. Not that it being an accident made it any better, like Virgil had just stated. But Patton was simply curious, trying to get a better understanding of what Logan had been through.

 “For the most part.” Logan admitted, thinking back to all of the various incidents with Roman. “He certainly didn’t know his own strength and failed to listen to me when I attempted to educate him otherwise.”

 “That’s Roman.” Virgil said with a sarcastic snort.

 “He wouldn’t listen to me either at first, when he came over to talk. He kept talking over me and even though he was on the other side of the room I could just feel him looming.” Patton shivered, especially after picturing it happening to Logan on a much larger scale. “He definitely doesn’t seem like…the  _nicest_  person.” To put it lightly.

 “Your accuracy is astounding.” Logan said with a dark chuckle.

 Virgil shifted slightly. He didn’t mind dissing Roman (he did it all the time to Roman’s face), but it did feel strange just standing here hearing these things, especially since he couldn’t relate. Not only that, but Virgil wasn’t sure if he had done any of those things himself.

 “I want to…apologize.” Virgil shifted his fingers now. “If I ever did anything like that. I’m sorry, I mean, I can’t help it, but…I uh, I can imagine how that would, well, suck.”

 “Oh Virgil, you have nothing to apologize for.” Patton said, giving the human a soft smile. “You’ve been great!” Patton giggled a bit before turning to Logan.

 “See? He even apologizes for things he didn’t do!” Patton said, referring to their previous conversation. He sent Virgil a pointed look. “Not that he should, but see? He’s a good human!”

 “Uh, sorry?” Virgil said awkwardly, not sure if he should be apologizing or saying thank you or possibly taking offense.

 “Yes yes, I get it, you’ve become attached.” Logan rolled his eyes.

 “Attached?” Virgil asked.

 “It means he’s fond of you.” Logan explained. “He wants to be around you instead of leaving like he should.”

 “Oh I know what attach means, I just didn’t… know if it was a borrower thing or something…” Virgil caught on to the next part of Logan’s sentence. “Hang on, what do you mean ‘leave like he should’?”

 Patton bit his lip and sighed. “Well ya see, kiddo, we borrowers have these sort of…rules.” Patton paused to rub at the back of his neck. “Things like ‘don’t be seen’ and ‘don’t be caught’ which, we both obviously have broken. But if either of those are broken, we’re supposed to…move away. To another building.” Patton felt himself deflate.

 “And I  _know_  I should, but I don’t  _want_  to. Logan’s right, I don’t think I can leave you at this point. You’ve become too important to me kiddo.”

 Virgil was touched by Patton’s words, even if it was hard to imagine someone caring about himself like that.

 “And if Patton’s important to you, he needs to go.” Logan looked at Virgil. “It’s not safe for us here. My encounters make that evident, and Roman still lives within this very apartment building with the knowledge of our existence.”

 “Well…” Virgil bit his lip. He could understand why that would be a problem, and he didn’t want anything bad to happen to Patton  _ever_. But he didn’t want to say goodbye forever, either.

 “M-Maybe there’s a way you guys could stay?” Virgil said hopefully. “I mean, I could protect you guys from Roman. I could make him  _think_  you left so he doesn’t go looking for you.”

 Patton’s eyes widened and he grinned. “Hey yeah! That’s a great idea, right Logan?” Patton asked, turning towards the other borrower. “Virgil can make it seem like we moved to Roman, but we can still stay!” Despite himself, he held out hope that Logan would go for the idea.

 “That would never work.” Logan shook his head firmly. “Do you really think Roman is the kind of bean to give up looking for a borrower simply because another human told him they were gone? Especially a human who already tried to get a borrower out of his hands? No, Roman is the kind of human who is going to be searching for borrowers the rest of his life in every building he ever steps foot in, and I can only hope he’s unsuccessful.”

 “…Oh.” Virgil shrunk back into himself slightly.  _Your ideas are dumb and useless just like you._

 Patton hated to admit that Logan had a point. But that didn’t make him want to stay any less. He knew he wouldn’t get anywhere tonight though, maybe once Logan rested up and hadn’t just immediately been released from Roman’s clutches, he might be more open to the idea.

 “How about we continue this later. In any case, there’s no way we can move now with you in this condition. How about you stay at my place for tonight and rest up for a bit?” Patton suggested.

 “I’m  _fine_ ,” Logan began to insist, but changed his tune once he began to stand and his pain began to return, “…but one night of rest will be acceptable, I suppose.”

 “Oh, okay.” Virgil caught on that they were leaving, and noticing Logan’s struggles wanted to help. “Do you guys, um, want a lift?” He began to slowly move his hand closer.

 “No!” Logan said forcefully, causing the human’s hand to flinch back. Once again, strange. Logan coughed to try and disguise his fear, bringing his voice back into its usual, confident tone. “No, ah, that will not be necessary.”

 “Thanks kiddo, but I think we’ll pass for the time being.” Patton said, sending a quick smile in the human’s direction. It went right back to a frown though when he looked back at Logan. “Come on Lo, can you climb down yourself or do you need me to carry you?” He asked, already helping Logan towards where his hook was.

 “I’ll be fine.” Logan assured him, following Patton to the rope. He considered getting out his own hook, but didn’t want to waste the extra energy in getting it out; instead, he carefully began to slide down the rope, feeling strange sliding down the rope with a human watching.

 Virgil, for his part, tried not to stare too much. He found it so cool to watch how Patton got around on his own, and he couldn’t pass up this opportunity to watch someone other than Patton. Geez, that sounded creepy. Virgil quickly diverted his eyes. _…But what if Logan falls again?_  Instantly Virgil was back to watching the borrower, his hands practically twitching at his sides.

 Patton wasn’t too worried, since he knew if Logan fell Virgil would catch him, but he was still relieved to see Logan had made it. He went down after him, faster than Logan, and quickly stored up his hook. He went to help Logan again, guiding them both towards their entrance into the walls. He sent a smile towards Virgil with a quick wave, before they both disappeared from sight.

 Virgil waved back, not knowing that there was even a hole in the wall there. Huh. Learn something new every day.

 Patton went down the familiar path, only stopping once he got to his door. He opened it and helped Logan inside, sitting him down on the makeshift bed. “Do you need more blankets or anything?” Patton asked, already looking around the room for his extra cloths.

 “No, I’ll be alright.” Logan yawned. “You don’t have to give up your bed for me, Patton. I’ll be fine.” He allowed himself to relax back into the blankets despite his words. It had been quite a taxing day for Logan, both physically and emotionally. It was a bit too much for his body to process at once.

 “Don’t you worry about it Lo. You just focus on getting some well deserved rest, alright?” Patton said, busying himself with tidying up a bit.

 “Mm, alright.” Logan mumbled, already drifting off to sleep. He didn’t even remember to take off his glasses in his exhausted state.

 Patton smiled softly, moving over and taking Logan’s glasses off for him. He paused and looked them over, noticing they were different than before. Newer. Cleaner cut too, even though one of the lens was bigger than the other. Patton hummed, wondering how Logan had gotten it. Had…Roman gotten it for him? But why? And how?

 Patton shook his head and placed the glasses off to the side. He could ask Logan about that later, for now, he needed rest. Patton took one last look at Logan before leaving his home and going back the way he came. Logan might not like it, but he didn’t have to know. He could spend the night with Virgil and be back before Logan even woke up.

 He entered Virgil’s room, looking around and noticing Virgil was back on his bed and on his phone. Patton was beginning to think that was his default position. Rolling his eyes playfully, Patton took the familiar route of climbing up the nightstand.

 “Hey Virgil, whatcha doing?”

 Virgil jumped slightly. “Uh, tumblr.” Virgil tilted his phone screen slightly towards Patton by way of explanation before realizing it probably meant nothing to the borrower. “I didn’t expect you back so soon…where’s Logan?”

 “He’s sleeping back at my place. He doesn’t know I’m here.” Patton took a seat at the edge, swinging his legs. “…I’m gonna try and convince him to stay. I  _really_  don’t want to move.” Patton said, sighing.

 “I really don’t want you to move either.” Virgil admitted. “But I don’t want you in danger either.” He scooted around on his bed so that he was facing Patton, pulling his knees up to his chest.

 “I know.” Patton smiled. “But, honestly, I don’t feel like I’m in any danger, not when I’m with you.” Patton admitted.

 “Aww, that’s sweet.” Virgil gave a small smile. “But I’m no match for Roman.”

 “Maybe not, but that doesn’t make me want to leave. I’d-I’d…” Patton looked away. “I’d rather have Roman catch me than to actually leave you.”

 “…Patton…” Virgil didn’t know what to say.

 “It’s true!” Patton exclaimed before sighing. “Anyway, uh, is it okay if I sleep here?” Patton asked, trying to move on, at least for the moment.

 “Yeah, of course, Pat.” Virgil said immediately. He gestured to the blanket on the nightstand. “I didn’t touch it, but if you want a clean one I can get that too.”

 “No, this is perfect! Thanks Virge.” Patton settled down, yawning. It was only now that he was realizing how tired he was. “Goodnight Virgil.”

 “Goodnight, Pat.” Virgil said, watching the borrower drift off. He quietly got up, trying to be sneaky as he left to the bathroom to change and brush his teeth. Coming back, Virgil turned off the lights and snuck into the covers.

 But Virgil couldn’t fall asleep for a while, his anxious thoughts finding him in the dark. What was going to happen to Patton? Should he try and convince Patton to go? Should he lie to Roman and say the borrowers were gone?  _Are you a good enough actor to pull that off?_

 Virgil sighed, turning on his side and trying to force himself asleep.


	26. Trouble Sleeping, eh?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody kinda has a rough night. Roman approaches Virgil for closure or something.

 Logan woke up in the middle of the night, heart rapidly beating in his chest from a fading nightmare. It took a few minutes for everything to come back to him as Logan remembered that he had indeed escaped Roman’s clutches. He was simply in Patton’s room. This gave the borrower a great feeling of relief, grounding him at the moment.

 Logan sighed, getting up to stretch a bit before heading into the main room to get a glass of water. He expected to see Patton passed out on the floor, but was surprised to see his friend missing. “Patton?” Logan asked aloud, peeking into the various rooms. Logan began to grow anxious, getting an inkling of a thought where Patton might be.

 With a tired groan about Patton’s blind kindness, Logan gathered up his hook from the wall and began walking towards Virgil’s apartment. His aching muscles protested as Logan swung through the corridor, using spare nails and ledges to his advantage. Since the path was unfamiliar to him it took a while for Logan to find the right entrance in the dark, but eventually, Logan found himself at the right vent.

 The borrower peered through the slants, squinting in the moonlight. He could make out the sleeping human’s figure easily enough, Virgil’s loud breathing giving him away. It took another minute before he spotted Patton, lying on a blanket on the nightstand and looking as though he didn’t have a care in the world.

 “Are you kidding me?” Logan said exasperatedly, careful to keep his voice down to an almost silent hush. “Patton, this is ridiculous.”

 Still, Logan didn’t know what to do about it. Virgil hadn’t trapped Patton in the slightest, unlike Roman with his boxes and drawers. Patton wasn’t in any imminent danger. Knowing the situation, Patton had come of his own free will. And, since Patton’s bed back home was currently occupied by himself, it seemed almost…rude to try and take him home. That blanket was probably far more comfortable than the floor.

 _And we wouldn’t want to risk waking a human bean._   Logan reasoned with himself. If Patton wanted to stay here, there was nothing Logan could do to stop him, especially if Virgil woke up. It was also likely Virgil would be irritated by the interruption of his sleep and the fact Logan would try to take Patton from his clutches. Logan shuddered at the thought, not wanting to deal with another angry human.

 With this in mind, Logan tried to get comfortable. He might as well wait here as well, for Patton’s sake. His head leaned against the side of the vent shaft. It was hard, unyielding, and quite chilly, but eventually, Logan’s exhaustion got the better of him and the borrower passed out once more.

***

 Roman found that he couldn’t fall asleep. He was lying in bed, eyes staring straight up and into the darkness that was his ceiling. He sighed and pulled himself out of bed and walked out and into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and poured himself some water.

 All he could think about was Logan.

 He missed the borrower, but he knew he didn’t deserve to have him back. He messed up. Big time. He had seen Logan as a lesser being, a  _pet_  and had treated him as such. And even when he started to see him better, he still treated him like  _Roman_  knew what was best. He had scared him beyond belief and had even scared Patton despite having only talked to him for a total of maybe five to eight minutes.

 Maybe if he had let Logan go right when he had found him, they actually could have been friends.

 …Well, maybe not, but at least he wouldn’t have the guilt of having hurt and scared Logan.

 He should talk to Virgil. His friend was probably missing Patton and maybe they both could offer each other some comfort. If Virgil even wanted it; he knew Virgil was mad at him as well. But it wouldn’t hurt to try and maybe Virgil could point out exactly where he had gone wrong and how he could have fixed it. Just in case…

 With a sigh, he finished his water and went back to bed. It was going to be a long night.

***

 Patton woke up the next day, bright and early. He stretched as he slowly got to his feet. He smiled at Virgil’s sleeping form. He didn’t want to wake the kiddo up, but he didn’t just want to disappear on the human either. He was sure Virgil was already afraid of Patton leaving and never coming back and Patton didn’t want to work Virgil into a panic.

 But he also needed to get back to Logan before he woke up. So, Patton cupped his hands over his mouth and called out. “Virgil!”

 “Hmm?” Virgil made a questioning, half-asleep murmur, eyes still closed.

 Patton smiled fondly at the human. “Sorry to wake ya kiddo, just wanted to tell you I’m going to go check on Logan and that I’ll be back soon,” Patton explained, already getting his hook ready to climb down to the floor.

 “Mhm.” Virgil’s head gave a small nod, still mostly asleep and beginning to nod off again.

 Patton chuckled but let him get to sleep, climbing down his hook and taking it with him. He slipped into the walls and started on his way to his room. He paused when he noticed the door was open, eyebrows furrowed. He was sure he had closed it last night, which meant…

 Patton practically ran into his house and looked to his bed. Unsurprised to see that Logan was gone. Patton looked around, noticing Logan’s hook was gone. Logan  _must_  have gone out, but where?

 Biting his lip, Patton started back towards Virgil. Maybe the human could help find him.

***

 Roman knew it was early, but he hadn’t gotten any sleep last night and he was itching to talk to Virgil about everything that had happened. So he showered, got dressed and headed to Virgil’s apartment.

 He knew his friend would still be sleeping this early in the morning, so he made sure his knock had enough force to reach his tired mind.

 “Whu…?” Virgil sat up, disoriented as he was awoken for a second time. He glanced to the nightstand, vaguely remembering Patton saying…something before heading out. Groaning, Virgil rubbed at his eyes and wondered why the universe wouldn’t let him sleep in as he headed to the front door.

 Roman smiled sheepishly as Virgil opened the door. “Hi.” He greeted, along with a little wave.

 Virgil promptly closed the door.

 Roman blinked before he was back to knocking on the door. “Oh come on Virgil! I just want to talk!”

 Virgil sighed, but he knew Roman wasn’t going to let him sleep in peace until he was heard. So, he opened the door just enough that he could give Roman a tired glare.

 Roman perked up at the door opening but deflated once again when it was barely opened. “Please let me in Virgil. I swear I just want to talk…I’m sure we’re both missing our respective borrowers and I just… _need_  to talk to someone about it.”

 Virgil blinked, for a moment surprised. Considering he had seen Patton and Logan yesterday evening, it was hard for him to remember Roman thought they were gone. But it was a relief to hear because it meant that Virgil wouldn’t have to convince him himself that the borrowers had truly left. Maybe Patton really could stay!

 “Alright,” Virgil said a bit more kindly, opening up his door and gesturing for Roman to come in.

 “Thank you.” Roman walked in, immediately heading to Virgil’s room out of habit. It was where they usually hung out when Roman was over. He took a seat at the end of the bed and waited for Virgil to sit down himself before sighing.

 “I really messed everything up.” Roman groaned, head falling into his hands.

 Logan jolted awake at the sound of human voices in the bedroom. Most worryingly,  _Roman’s_  voice. Logan quickly checked the nightstand, but it appeared Patton had vanished. Logan could only hope that Patton was far away from this situation and would stay there.

 Virgil reached out a comforting hand, rubbing circles on Roman’s back. “Yeah, you did.”

 Roman wanted to glare at Virgil, but he didn’t, because he knew he it was true. He may have come here partly for comfort, but also to get help. Even if it didn’t really matter anymore.

 “Seriously, what is wrong with me?! Why on earth did it take me so  _long_  to see Logan as a-as a  _person_?”

 Logan’s eyebrows raised slightly, now focusing in on what was being said. Was Roman truly regretful of his actions? It was strange seeing the human from this perspective, knowing that Roman’s words were not being used to gain some form of pity to keep Logan from leaving. No, here there was no ulterior motive; this had to be how Roman felt at his core. The idea was…troubling. It was hard from Logan’s original perspective to see any change in Roman’s behavior over the time of his captivity, but looking down through the vent Logan realized that this was not the same Roman who found him in a bag several days ago.

 “Well, do you want the honest answer or me to keep nodding sympathetically?” Virgil asked with a raised eyebrow.

 “…Honesty.” Roman answered after a moment of hesitation. He knew Virgil tended to be brutally honest, at least when it came to him, but he needed it right now.

 “You’re too stubborn,” Virgil told him. “Once you decided to see Logan as…. inferior, you had trouble changing your own mind because you’re too proud to admit you’re wrong.”

 Logan couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

 “That…unfortunately makes sense,” Roman admitted, looking down at the floor. “Curse my stubbornness.” He ran a hand down his face, sighing again. “Do you think…I mean, I doubt they would ever come back, but do you think Logan will ever…forgive me?” He knew asking Virgil wouldn’t give him a for sure answer, but any answer was what he needed right now.

 Logan’s eyes widened. Frankly, even he didn’t know the answer. Last night it would have been a resounding ‘NO’, but looking down at this defeated, regretful form of Roman… Logan supposed his answer was at the very least a quieter ‘no’. Perhaps even a ‘maybe’. It was certainly easier to be open to the idea when Roman was kept at a safe distance.

 “Uh…” Virgil tried to put himself in Logan’s shoes, but it was hard since he didn’t know everything that had gone down between the two. “I mean, maybe someday he’ll, I dunno, forget? I think that’s kinda the best you can hope for.”

 “Oh.” Roman wasn’t surprised by Virgil’s answer, but he was disappointed. “Probably.”

 It was in that moment that Patton practically burst out of the wall, not paying attention to his surroundings as he called out for Virgil. “Virgil! I’m back, I couldn’t find Lo-” Patton cut himself off and froze when he finally noticed that Virgil was no longer the only human in the room.

 Roman’s eyes were on Patton as soon as he entered, he didn’t know what else to do but stare at Patton, shocked that the borrower was still here.

 And by the sounds of things, so was Logan.


	27. Roman has Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman comes up with something that is either a very brilliant or very stupid idea.

 “Patton!” Logan hissed quietly to himself in the vent, irritated at him. What was he thinking? Hadn’t he heard the humans? Didn’t he know anything about Roman?

 “Uh…” Virgil looked back and forth between the two, nervous how Roman would react. “Patton, I didn’t…expect you back so soon.”

 “Uh…yeah.” Patton couldn’t take his eyes off of Roman. Sure, he had let Logan go, but who was to say he wasn’t ready to snatch up another borrower.

 Roman hated seeing the fear in Patton’s eyes and glanced away, hoping that maybe him not staring at Patton would help. “Um, hello Patton.”

 Patton blinked, swallowing nervously. “Um…hi.” Patton sent Virgil a look that asked for some sort of help or context to what exactly was happening.

 “Roman, he uh, came over to talk.” Virgil’s shoulders bunched up a little, almost feeling guilty that Patton had caught him with Roman. As if he was betraying his borrower friend simply by talking to his human friend. “Mostly about missing Logan.”

 Logan tensed up in the vent, torn between wanting to rush down to help Patton and not wanting to rip his eyes away from the scene unraveling before him lest he miss something important.

 “Oh…” Patton wasn’t quite sure how to take that. Missed him how? Like he wished he had never let him go? Or like he wished he had been better?

 “Yes, and I feel I must apologize to you as well. For scaring and talking over you and such.” Roman explained, lifting his eyes to look at Patton again. Patton’s eyes widened.

 “Oh! Um, I guess…apology…accepted?” Patton said a bit unsure. Roman blinked in surprise.

 “Wait, really?” Roman asked. Patton shrugged.

 “I mean, you apologized. Which you wouldn’t have really done if you weren’t actually sorry, so…yeah. I forgive you.” Patton gave the human a stern look. “As long as you don’t do anything like that again.”

 Roman put his hands up. “Of course, I wouldn’t dream of it.”

 Virgil was a bit surprised that Patton had forgiven Roman. But then again, Roman’s apology sounded sincere. Maybe Roman really had changed, and he had a shot of earning Logan’s forgiveness after all.

 But Logan rolled his eyes, not believing Roman for a second. Of course Roman wouldn’t  _try_  to be intimidating and rude, but it would end up happening regardless. It was just in the human’s nature.

 “Good. Because what you did to Logan was not right at all.” Patton said, feeling brave enough to continue his stern look. He felt safe as long as Virgil was right there.

 “I know,” Roman said, looking down. “I know I messed everything all up. I was an idiot.”

 “Yeah, you were.” Virgil nodded. Logan couldn’t help but agree.

 Usually Roman would give some sort of sarcastic retort, but he knew he deserved what was being said to him. If only he wasn’t so stubborn or even had someone else there to tell him what he was doing was wrong, from the beginning.

 He oh so wished for a second chance at this point. Anything to get Logan to forgive him.

 Wait…

 An idea came to mind and he straightened from his slouched position, grinning as he looked at Patton. “Wait! You can teach me!”

 Patton backed away a step but frowned curiously at Roman’s words. “Teach?” Roman nodded.

 “Yes! You can teach me how to properly act around your kind. What’s respectful and what’s not, that sort of thing!”

 Logan loathed that idea. And he loathed that Patton was still even talking to Roman. Logan could at least understand Virgil, but  _Roman?_  Patton should have given into his borrower instincts and run far away by now.

 “Uh, just treat them like normal people?” Virgil raised an eyebrow, not sure how Roman was still struggling with this concept.

 “I know that, but even you have to admit the size difference requires some different treatments as well. So what do you think?” Roman asked, turning back toward Patton. “Would you be willing to teach me?”

 Patton blinked and thought about it for a moment. It  _really_  seemed like Roman was redeemable and Patton could help out with that. And then they would have not only a new friend but a new human ally! It could work…

 “That…isn’t a  _bad_  idea…” Patton admitted, causing Roman to grin and even get to his feet.

 “Great! So then you can come to my place for a few days! It’ll be perfect!”

 _NO!_  Logan had to physically bite his lip to keep from screaming out. Realizing this had gone far enough, Logan tore himself away from the vent and began dashing down the hall as fast as his weakened state would allow.

 “What? No!” Virgil shook his head, hating the idea as well. “Roman, you can’t just…” _kidnap Patton._  “…push your own agenda like that. Patton doesn’t even have to teach you if he doesn’t want to; it’s not his responsibility to make sure you’re not being species-ist or something.”

 “I’m not pushing anything! It is completely Patton’s choice, of course.” Roman said before turning back to Patton. “Patton?”

 Patton bit his lip, thinking everything through. He definitely didn’t want to go home with Roman, he didn’t think he could handle being alone with the human, at least not yet. He’d feel much more comfortable if Virgil were there, in case anything happened. “I’d be willing to teach you-”

 “Great!”

 “But!” Patton yelled, making sure Roman was listening to him again. The human stayed quiet so Patton continued. “I don’t want to go with you. I think it might work better if you came here and I could teach you. Besides, it might help if you were taught by example.” Patton explained, motioning to Virgil and then himself.

 “Of course, this isn’t my house so…” He turned to Virgil. “What do you think?”

 “Uh…” Virgil thought it over. The idea made him nervous because he didn’t want to put Patton in any sort of danger. But at the same time… despite everything that happened, Virgil knew his best friend wasn’t a bad guy. Roman just had a lot of, er, character flaws. At his core, Roman was a fantastic friend, and the idea of being able to safely hang out with both his best friends was almost too good to be true. “…yeah, I think that’d be okay. But you’d have to listen to both of us. There’s gonna be a lot of rules.”

 Roman nodded. “And I will behave and listen to all of them. Thank you both so much.” Patton nodded grinning before his smile quickly left his face as he remembered something very important.

 “Oh shoot! I forgot about Logan, I’ll be right back!” Patton didn’t wait for them to react as he quickly ran far back into the walls.

 …Only to slam into a Logan a few seconds later. Patton fell to the floor with an oof, before looking up to see Logan. “Logan! There you are, where have you been?”

 “The vent,” Logan explained with a groan, slowly pulling himself off the floor. At least Patton was safe. “I was keeping an eye on you.”

 Patton blinked. “You…were?” Patton was suddenly nervous. “How much of everything did you hear?” He assumed Logan had missed some of the conversation since he had left the vent, but he wanted to know exactly when it had ended for him. For…reasons.

 “I heard enough,” Logan said sternly. “Patton, under no circumstances are you to go to Roman’s home unattended. In fact, there is absolutely no reason for you to traverse that apartment at all.”

 Okay, so Logan hadn’t heard the part where he wouldn’t be going over to Roman’s but staying with Virgil and teaching him from there. But Logan still couldn’t know that. Patton knew that if Logan knew he would be hanging out with Roman he would force him to move right then and there and he would never see Virgil again. But Patton wanted to give Roman a chance…

 Which meant he would have to lie.

 He hated lying, but if it meant being able to stay here, with Virgil, he would do so.

 “Don’t worry, I’m not going with Roman. Or having anything to do with him, in fact, Virgil kicked him out.” Patton lied.

 “Good.” Logan nodded, once again feeling his respect for Virgil growing. “I… understand why you seem so fond of him.”

 “I told you, he really cares about us, like  _people_.” Patton frowned. “But enough about that, you should still be in bed resting.” Patton gently started to guide Logan back to his place.

 “It’s not exactly easy to rest when I wake up to find you with Humans.” Logan reminded him, allowing himself to be guided along. “My heart can only take so much stress.”

 Patton winced. “Sorry about that. I was originally just with Virgil, but then I left to come back and check on you and then when I went back to see if Virgil could help, Roman was there.” At least he didn’t have to lie about that part.

 “Why didn’t you check before going out?” Logan offered. “Did you even listen at all? They weren’t being quiet, in fact, that’s why I woke up.”

 “I don’t know, I just…really wasn’t expecting Roman to be there.” He admitted a bit sheepishly. He knew he should have probably been paying more attention, but he hadn’t felt the need when he thought Virgil had been the only one there. As they made it back to Patton’s place, Patton opened the door and guided Logan inside once again.

 “You need to pay more attention.” Logan reminded him. “You can’t get negligent just because you’ve grown… _fond_  of a bean. This is exactly why the rules are in place; being around humans is dangerous in and of itself. Best case scenario, you get so comfortable around one that you forget your training and a fatal accident occurs.”

 “But Virgil would never let that happen!” Patton argued as he helped Logan into bed. “You saw it for yourself after all, about how gentle and understanding he was.” Patton went to return his hook to the wall.

 “And honestly? Even with Roman right there, I didn’t feel like I was in any danger. Not as long as Virgil was there at least.”

 “Well, you should have,” Logan said with a slight glare. Patton’s lack of concern only increased Logan’s own.

 “I mean, I was still  _scared_. But I knew if Roman tried anything Virgil would stop him.” Patton shook his head. “Anyway, we can talk more about this  _after_  you get some rest.”

 “I don’t need more rest.” Logan protested. His muscles were sore but his mind was awake.

 “Yes you do, I doubt sleeping in the vent was comfortable or helped your injuries at all.” Patton looked through the pantry of his house, looking for something they could both eat. “If you don’t want to sleep that’s fine, but you still should stay in bed.” Patton got out some of the cereal Virgil had given to him when they first met, looking at it with a smile. He handed a piece to Logan as he sat down himself and took a bite of his own.

 “I’ll take it easy today,” Logan promised, thinking about all he still had to pack. “I’ll rest tonight.”

 “Sounds good,” Patton said with a smile. “Now eat up! Can’t be skipping breakfast, now can we?”

 Logan snorted at that, chewing his cereal thoughtfully as he remembered all the mornings he had simply gone hungry. Humans were often too active in the morning for Logan’s taste, especially as his main borrowing target had always been Roman. It had even gotten to a point where Logan had adopted an almost nocturnal pattern just to make sure the kitchen was empty enough for it to be safe to go borrowing.

 Of course, that hadn’t worked out so well on the instances that Roman fancied a late night snack. Logan had always envied how easy it was for human’s to get food and other resources without the constant threat to their life.

 As Patton ate, he wanted nothing more than to go back to Virgil and finish his conversation with Roman. But he realized he couldn’t leave, not yet at least. He didn’t want Logan following after him again after all and realizing what he was doing. He’d have to find the right time to go.

 Patton finished eating, wiping the crumbs off his hands. He looked at Logan an idea coming to mind. Maybe if he had Logan’s perspective of what happened, it would be easier to show Roman where he went wrong. “Hey, Logan? You only have to answer this if you’re comfortable with it, but…would you mind telling me all that happened while you were with Roman? It might help a bit to talk to someone about it.”

 Logan paused, still in the middle of chewing. He swallowed, not feeling as hungry anymore. Patton was right, it would be best to speak about it aloud to help ground his thoughts and keep from over exaggeration. Not to mention, Patton was his best friend, and Logan wanted his friend to understand what had happened; after all, it might make Patton act a little more cautiously around Virgil, which would be in everyone’s best interest.

 Still, Logan felt his throat tighten slightly as he began to speak. “No, I…I can talk about it.” Logan took a deep breath, trying to figure out where to start. He supposed the beginning would be best. “It all started a few days ago when I was out on an afternoon borrowing run…”


	28. Teaching and Teasing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems Patton and Virgil may have their work cut out for them.

Roman blinked as Patton suddenly ran back into the walls. “Wait, what about Logan?” He asked Virgil as he turned to face his friend.

 “Uuuuh…” Virgil glanced at the wall, not sure if it was his place to say. But, Roman deserved some sort of explanation. “Logan kinda stayed the night last night at Patton’s house.”

 “Oh.” Roman looked toward where Patton had disappeared with sad eyes. He could no longer see the exit, it blending perfectly into the wall. “I…would have assumed that he would have left the complex by now.”

 “I think he wanted to,” Virgil said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. “But uh, he was waiting on Patton, and Patton…didn’t really want to leave. Leave me, specifically.”

 “Really?” Roman turned back to Virgil. He supposed it made sense, after everything he had seen before involving the two of them. “Huh. Well, I suppose that’s simply because of how much better you handled finding a borrower.” Roman hated to admit it, but he was jealous.

 “I mean, I guess.” Virgil gave a shrug. “I think it has more to do with the fact that we’re friends now?”

 “Right.” Roman sighed. “Maybe if  _I_  had been better, Logan and I could have been friends.” Roman stared at the wall for a second longer before standing up.

 “Welp, while we wait for Patton to return, do you happen to have any food? I still have yet to go grocery shopping so my apartment is completely empty.” Roman asked, already heading towards Virgil’s kitchen.

 “Uh, probably not.” Virgil followed Roman into the kitchen, wondering vaguely if Patton would return soon, with Logan. Probably not with Logan. “I haven’t gone shopping in a while. You’re welcome to go digging.”

 “Awesome.” Roman did just that, opening Virgil’s cupboards and fridge to see if he could find anything. “Oh! Hey, looks like you got some pancake mix. What do ya say?”

 “Sounds good.” Virgil nodded.

 Roman got to work, getting out the necessary pans and tools and making and pouring the mix. Pretty soon, Roman had made several pancakes, all stacked high on a plate that Roman placed on the table.

 “ _Disfrute de su comida_.” Roman said, bowing slightly to Virgil.

 “Yeah, chill.” Virgil took a few pancakes, not understanding a word Roman said. Although as Virgil looked down at his pancakes, he realized that Patton would probably want some too. And it would probably be nicer to not make the borrower walk all the way to the kitchen…

 “Alright, borrower etiquette lesson one.” Virgil turned to Roman, realizing it might be best to speak aloud. “Patton’ll probably want pancakes too, so we’re gonna be nice and bring the pancakes to my room so he doesn’t have to walk as far. Not because he can’t, but just because he doesn’t need to when we can help out a bit.”

 Roman nodded along to what Virgil was saying, taking it all in. “Of course.” Roman picked up the pancakes and went into the room, setting them down on Virgil’s desk as they entered. He looked around, but Patton still seemed to be away.

 “Do you think he’ll be back soon?” Roman asked.

 “I mean, probably.” _Hopefully._ Virgil took hold of a pancake and began eating it, letting the warmth distract him from his growing anxiety. What if Patton didn’t find Logan? What if Patton needed his help because he got trapped in a spider web again? What if Logan convinced Patton to move and he  _never_  came back?

 Roman, having been Virgil’s friend for a long time, noticed when he seemed to be panicking a little. He placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure Patton will be back any minute now. Logan’s probably just talking his ear off.”

 “I think it’s the other way around,” Virgil said with a raised eyebrow. As long as he’d known Logan, the borrower was very quiet and reserved. But of course, Virgil had yet to see Logan’s true character.

***

 “…And that brings us up to the present.” Logan finished talking Patton’s ear off with his account of the last few days. Logan folded his hands in his lap, focusing on twiddling his thumbs instead of meeting Patton’s eyes.

 “Oh, Lo…I’m so sorry.” The way Logan described everything sounded absolutely  _terrifying_. He could barely imagine it himself, especially not after being with Virgil. It was no wonder Logan wanted to leave. “I had no idea you went through  _that_  much.” He felt a little angry at Roman, but he also knew that Roman felt guilty about doing all those things. So he couldn’t stay mad at him.

 Logan nodded. “It was…difficult.” Logan gave himself a little shake, forcing himself to snap out of it. “But, no need to dwell on the past. I just…I need to  _focus_  on packing.” Logan began to gather up his belongings, looking a bit out of sorts.

 “Logan, Logan hey,” Patton said, gently grabbing Logan’s arm to stop him. “It’s no wonder you want to move after everything that happened, but I don’t think you’re in the right state of mind to make that decision right now. Let alone actually  _move_. You need to  _rest_ , at least for a few more days and then we’ll decide if moving really is for the best. Okay?”

 “Wha-no!” Logan pulled away from Patton, looking slightly frantic. “Patton, Roman was in Virgil’s apartment this morning. He…He’s looking for me. For  _us_. He tried to take you away and it’s only a matter of time until he’s successful and…and I’m next!”

 “Logan, Logan calm down. You’re overthinking things, cognitive distortions and all that.” Patton said, gently reaching over to rub at Logan’s back. “ _Breath_  Logan, everything is okay.”

 Logan relaxed into Patton’s touch, doing as he was instructed.  _Breathe in, breathe out._  Panicking would get them nowhere. Logan had to stay calm and collected. Fear only increased the chance of mistakes.

 “Thank you, Patton,” Logan said.

 “No problem, now you should lay back down.” Patton carefully guided Logan back down to the bed. “Like I said, we can talk more about the pros and cons of moving once you are actually fit enough  _to_  move.”

 “No.” Logan shook his head, gently rejecting his offer. “I can’t just sit here idly all day. I appreciate your help in helping me rest and clear my head, but I want to at least get started on preparations.”

 Patton sighed. “Alright. How about this then. You go back to your place and pack, but once you’re finished I want you in bed and resting. How does that sound?”

 “Sounds like a deal,” Logan said with a smile. “I’ll be careful not to push my physical limits as well.”

 Patton nodded, smiling. “Did you need me to walk with you to your place?” Patton offered.

 “I’ll be alright.” Logan paused, looking at Patton. “I suggest you start getting your affairs in order as well.”

 “…Okay, but this doesn’t mean we’re actually moving. We still have to talk about this.” Patton said, crossing his arms.

 “Fine.” Logan agreed, once again gathering his things. “I’ll see you tomorrow, and we can discuss it then.” Of course, in Logan’s mind, there wasn’t much to discuss.

 “Good. See you tomorrow.” Patton said, before pulling Logan into a quick hug.

 Logan hugged him back, before heading out for the long trek home.

 Patton waited until Logan was out of sight before grabbing his hook and running back towards Virgil’s apartment. He hoped Logan would stay true to his word as that would give him time to hang out with Virgil and teach Roman.

 He exited the wall, looking around the room and seeing both Virgil and Roman. Roman seated at the desk and Virgil seated on the bed. Neither seemed to have noticed him yet. “Virgil!” He thought about calling out Roman’s name, but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

 Virgil’s head snapped up, looking at the borrower with relief. “Patton!” Virgil smiled. “We made some pancakes if you want any. Still a little warm.”

 “Oh! That sounds great!” Patton exclaimed, starting to head on over towards them. Roman looked down to see Patton and stood up. He got closer and reached a hand towards Patton.

 “Come on, I’ll give you a boost.” Patton blinked, eyes going wide as he saw the hand descend towards him. He yelped and ran several steps back.

 “Wait, stop!” Roman froze at Patton’s shout, looking at him and even at Virgil confused.

 “Roman.” Virgil pressed his hands to his temples, trying not to get irritated so soon. Perhaps Virgil should have spent their time alone educating Roman on all the rules. “Absolutely  _no_  grabbing.” Virgil wiped his face tiredly, feeling secondhand embarrassment for his own species. “You can offer Patton some help, but he doesn’t have to accept. And if he does, still don’t grab. That’s super weird, dude. How would you feel about that, huh?”

 Roman’s face flared up. “Oh, ah, right, of course. I’m sorry.” Roman cleared his throat, kneeling down in front of Patton and placing his hand palm up on the floor. “May I offer you some help?” He asked, more nervous than before now.

 Patton blinked, looking at Roman warily. What would be the better learning opportunity here? Patton saying yes or Patton saying no…

 In this situation, it might be best for Patton to say yes. Despite how much he was scared to do so. “Okay.” Patton hesitated before climbing into Roman’s hand. It was so similar to Virgil and yet so different. It was very strange.

 Roman grinned, watching as Patton climbed on. Once he was settled, Roman let his fingers curl around the tiny body as he lifted him up. Patton, not expecting the fingers to wrap around him, yelped in distress.

 “Roman!” Virgil quickly moved over to assist, gently prying Roman’s fingers apart so it was an open palm once more. ‘You can’t- augh, do that sort of thing! Again, it’s creepy, and it’s invasive and overbearing.”

 “Ah! Sorry, I was just trying to make sure he wouldn’t fall!” Roman said, trying to explain himself. Patton was just glad that he was free once again.

 “Just… don’t do it again.” Virgil pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’ve gotta try and, ugh how do I say this… you’ve got to try and picture what it’s like from Patton’s perspective.”

 Roman nodded, doing as Virgil said. It was hard but when got a clear image a shiver ran down his spine. That…okay yeah, alright no more grabbing.

 He looked down at Patton. “Sorry about that, um, where do you want to be, ah…put?” Roman asked awkwardly. Patton gave him a small smile that was only a  _little_  forced.

 “It’s alright kiddo, just please don’t do that again.” Patton paused to take a breath. “Um, you can just set me on the desk.” Roman nodded and did so, letting Patton slide off his hand on his own.

 Immediately Patton went over to the pancakes and ripped off a piece, happy to see it was still warm. He looked up at the two humans. “So, what’s the plan?”

 “I dunno.” Virgil was now much more nervous about this whole teaching thing. “I mean, maybe let’s start with just, uh, talking about some ground rules? Or we can just answer your questions, Roman.”  _And have no more physical contact ever._

 “Questions seem like a good place to start,” Patton said, taking another bite of the pancake as he looked to Roman.

 “Oh! Well…I already know no grabbing or anything of the sort. Um,” he thought back to his time with Logan. “Okay so, when Logan was with me I took him to class with me. Kept him in my pocket. Is that alright? Oh! And is it alright to carry you in a pocket?” He asked.

 Patton blinked. “I’ve never been in a pocket before, so I’m not actually sure. I guess it all breaks down to things like consent. Did Logan  _want_  to be carried in a pocket? Or go to school with you for that matter?”

 Roman looked away sheepishly. “Well…no, but I know he enjoyed himself while we were in class. The guys a textbook nerd if I ever saw one.”

 “Roman, if  Logan didn’t want to be there, he didn’t consent.” Virgil resisted the urge to pull out his hair as he was reminded of so many pieces of propaganda trying to depict actual consent. No means no. “You basically did the equivalent of throwing someone in your car trunk and then expecting them to want to road trip with you.”

 Roman winced. Of course, why hadn’t he seen  _that_  sooner? Had everything just been null and void for him because Logan was smaller? How monstrous could he be? “Right, okay, that…probably gets a lot of my questions out of the way.”

 Patton looked to Virgil with a concerned look. Though, after hearing Logan’s side of things, he knew Roman was right.

 “Well…good.” Virgil was a bit concerned that so many of Roman’s questions could be answered with a simple  _‘stop kidnapping tiny people’._

 “Also,” Patton spoke up, thinking back to what Logan had told him. “You need to be more gentle with your touches. Logan was talking to me before and…he has a lot of bruises. All from you poking and prodding him.” Roman blinked, frowning.

 “Did I really hurt him that much?” Patton felt bad for nodding, but it was the truth. Roman deflated a little.

 “Oh.” He truly had hurt Logan, not only mentally, but physically as well. Roman wasn’t sure he could get more guilty than what he currently felt right now.

 Patton bit his lip. “That isn’t to say that you still can’t touch us,” Patton said, continuing with the lesson. “Whether you mean to help or tease, you just have to be gentle.” He turned to Virgil.

 “Maybe a demonstration would be best for this lesson.” He suggested to Virgil.

 “W-what?” Virgil stuttered slightly, caught off guard.

 Patton grinned reassuringly. “Come on Virge, you’ve always been really gentle with me. It would be a great way to show Roman how to be as well.”

 “Um,” Virgil glanced at Roman, not sharing Patton’s feelings. Virgil tried to avoid touching Patton as a general rule out of politeness and slight fear. He didn’t think of himself as gentle, and he certainly didn’t think he’d do well on the spot like this. “Well, I…okay. What should I do?” Virgil cringed at the stiffness of his own words.

 “First, scoop me up into your hand,” Patton said, causing Roman to frown.

 “Wait, I thought you said no grabbing?” Patton turned to face Roman.

 “Yeah, but this is a bit different. I’m not being constricted, plus, I just gave Virgil explicit permission to do so, so it’s perfectly fine.” He turned back to Virgil, waiting.

 “Alright.” Virgil carefully put his hands out, slowly ‘scooping’, so to speak, Patton up into his palms. He could feel his hands shaking slightly with nerves, and he willed them to stop. “Like this?”

 “Perfectly done kiddo!” Patton reassured Virgil. “Now, just do some light prods and pokes, maybe a ruffle of my hair, I don’t know, surprise me!” Patton exclaimed, giggling slightly.

 _This is so weird._  Virgil thought as he transferred Patton over to one hand. With his now free hand, Virgil ever so gently tapped Patton’s arm.

 “Aww, come kiddo! You can do better than that!”

 Virgil tried again, this time tapping Patton’s other arm with  _juuuuust_  a little more force, before using his other finger to ruffle Patton’s hair.  _Oh my god, it’s so soft._ Virgil found he was kinda…enjoying it as he danced his fingers around to try and tickle Patton. Was that weird?

 Patton giggled as Virgil started to try and tickle him, finding he actually enjoyed the feather-like touches Virgil was giving him.

 Roman stared in both awe and shock at how Patton was reacting. That was nothing like how Logan ever reacted to him and his teasing. He was always trying to push him away and now that he really thought about it there had been a very clear fear on his face.

 Once again, Roman found himself being jealous of Patton and Virgil’s relationship. Wishing he could have had that with Logan.

 Virgil smiled at his friend’s reaction, allowing himself just a few more moments of hair ruffling before setting Patton back down on the desk.

 Patton giggled as he found himself on the desk again. He had enjoyed that a lot more than he thought he was going to. He turned to Roman with a wide grin. “And  _that_  is how you tease someone gently. And don’t forget about the consent part!” Patton said, finishing off this lesson. Roman nodded.

 “That was adorable.” Roman couldn’t help but say. “Would it be alright if I did that with you?” Patton’s smile dropped a little.

 “Uh…Let’s wait a little for that kiddo. Maybe practice on something not alive for a bit first.” Roman deflated but nodded.

 “Fair enough.” he picked himself back up. “Alright, so, no grabbing or touching or doing anything really without consent. Be very gentle when allowed to touch, uh…yeah.” Roman finished a bit lamely.


	29. Just some Moxiety bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil kicks Roman out so he can have some more quality time with Patton.

 “And that seems like a good place to take a break! You stay here, while me and Virge take these dishes back, okay?” Roman raised an eyebrow but nodded.

 “Um, okay.” Patton nodded, before looking up at Virgil expectantly.

 Virgil put down one hand, palm up next to Patton.

 Patton climbed on, faster than he had with him, Roman couldn’t help but note. The borrower waited for Virgil, sitting criss-cross in his palm.

 Virgil slowly raised the hand holding Patton up to his chest, grabbing the dishes with his other hand. It made him nervous to try and hold two things at once like this, especially when one of those things was his friend’s life. Virgil carefully made his way to the kitchen, setting the dishes in the sink.

 “Thanks for helping with the dishes.” Virgil said with a small smirk, pointing out how little Patton contributed in a teasing manner. Then his tone got more serious. “How’re you doing?”

 “Good.” Patton answered. “It started off rocky but I really think Roman’s trying. He wants to learn and be better, which is good.”

 “Yeah, but I don’t want you getting hurt during that learning curve either.” Virgil warned.

 “I know, it’s why I started out with being gentle. Hopefully the lesson will stick out in his mind and we won’t have a problem.” Patton rubbed at his arm, trying to hide his nervousness at the thought of Roman even accidentally hurting him.

 Virgil’s eyes widened. “Wait, are you already hurt?” Virgil began to panic, wondering if his prodding could have agitated it.

 “What? Oh no! I’m perfectly fine, just…” Patton sighed. “Just a little nervous is all. I’m more than willing to help Roman learn. I mean, the more friends the better right? But it’s hard to not be scared, especially after everything Logan told me he did.”

 “Patton, we don’t have to do this all today.” Virgil reminded his friend, not wanting Patton to be scared or hurt for the sake of being some sort of martyr. “It’s totally fine for you to call it a day and listen to your feelings, maybe have some time away from Roman.”

 “That might be for the best.” Patton admitted, sighing. “Everything just happened so fast this morning, I need some time away from both Roman  _and_ Logan for a bit.”

 “What happened with Logan?” Virgil said with a slight frown. He thought Patton always wanted to be with his best friend.

 “Nothing, really. He’s back at his place now, but…I had to lie to him about helping Roman. Apparently he was listening to our entire conversation, up until Roman made the suggestion. And if Logan knew, he would try to stop me from helping, even though I  _want_  to.” Patton sighed. “I hate lying, which is why I need a bit of a break from Logan.”

 “Ooh, that sucks.” Virgil winced in sympathy.

 Patton nodded. “So yeah, time away from both of them would be nice.” Patton agreed again.

 “Alright, sounds good.” Virgil nodded.  _Guess I get to be the one to break the news to Roman_. “Want to wait here while I kick Roman out?”

 “Sure.” Patton said, going to stand in Virgil’s palm.

 Virgil set his hand down on the counter, allowing Patton to depart before he made his way back into the bedroom. “Okay Princey, time to go.”

 Roman blinked, before frowning. “What? Why?” Had he done something wrong?

 “Patton’s feeling tired, so we’re gonna stop the whole teaching thing for now.” Virgil explained.

 “Oh…alright.” He had been hoping for a little longer, but supposed he was just lucky to even be able to hang out with Patton and have him teach him. “Can I come back tomorrow?”

 “I mean, probably.” Virgil said with a shrug. “I’ll double check with Patton and send you a text, ‘kay?”  Virgil came over and gave Roman a pat on the shoulder, slightly pushing Roman towards the door.

 Roman stumbled a bit, sending Virgil a glare before smiling and heading towards the door. “Okay. See ya later then.” And with that, Roman was heading back towards his own apartment.

 Virgil closed the door behind him, walking back to the kitchen. “So, wanna watch some more Steven Universe?”

 Patton lit up. “Oh can we?! I love that show!” Patton exclaimed.

 “Yeah, of course Pat.” Virgil said with a chuckle, putting down his hand. “Whatever you want.”

 Patton squealed with delight, getting onto Virgil’s hand and waiting to be carried into the living room.

 Virgil went over to the couch, setting Patton on one end of the couch and sitting down on the other, just like before. He pulled out the remote, starting up the show just where they had left off.

 Patton was once again enthralled in the show. The colors and characters amazed him, but now the plot was pulling him in as well. After several episodes and during a commercial break, Patton turned to Virgil. “Hey Virgil?”

 “Yeah?” Virgil looked over and down at his tiny friend.

 “How do they make the show?” Patton asked curiously.

 “Oh, uh, they draw it.” Virgil answered. “Like people design all the art and characters and animate it, and then they have people come in to voice the characters.”

 “Whoa…Can you do that?” Patton asked, head tilted a bit.

 “Ah, no.” Virgil said with a slight laugh. “No, I’m not much of an artist. Not a real one, anyways.”

 Patton frowned. “What do you mean, not a real one?”

 “Well, I mean, I doodle.” Virgil shrugged. “And like, I could probably draw a dog or something. But I’m nowhere near the level of skill it takes to do something like that.” Virgil gestured to the tv screen.

 Patton’s eyes lit up. “You can draw?! Can I see?!”

 “Um…” Virgil wasn’t one to go around showing off his sketchbook to everyone, but… “I mean, I guess.” Virgil waited until commercial, going over to his room to retrieve the book from his bag.

 Patton stood up on the couch, bouncing up and down in excitement as he waited for Virgil to return.

 It took a few minutes, but Virgil came back with his sketchbook clutched carefully in his hands. “Here’s a few of them.” Virgil said, setting it down in front of Patton and opening to the first page. Virgil winced, hating the look of his own art. “Actually, ah, not that one.” Virgil flipped to the next page, wincing again. “Or that one. Um, hold on…” Virgil began turning through the book, trying to find something actually decent.

 Patton stared in awe at the first drawing shown, but frowned when Virgil flipped past it, claiming it wasn’t good. In fact, he kept doing it and Patton couldn’t help but knit his brows together as he looked at Virgil. Well, looks like he would have to show Virgil just how good his art actually was. “Kiddo, these are  _amazing!_ ” Patton grinned, throwing his arms up in an excited gesture.

 Virgil paused in his search. “I mean, they’re really not.” Virgil insisted, looking back and forth between the tv screen and his book.

 “Yes, they are!” Patton insisted. “I don’t know much about art, but even _I_  know yours is fantastic!”

 “Thanks Pat.” Virgil gave a small smile. Though he may have disagreed, Virgil was happy that at least Patton seemed to enjoy his art.

 Patton returned the smile before suddenly turning back towards the TV, realizing the show was back on. “Oh! The shows back!”

 Virgil packed up his book, setting it to the side to put away later and turning his attention back to the screen as well.

 After several,  _several_  more episodes, Patton’s stomach let out a low growl and he blushed, placing his hand over it. Was it that time already? “What time is it?” He asked aloud, to make sure.

 Virgil glanced down at his phone. “Oh man, it’s already 9:38.” Virgil was surprised. Where had the time gone? They even forgot to get lunch in all the excitement. “Guess we should probably do dinner or something, huh?”

 “Sounds great!” Patton agreed, standing up and stretching.

 Virgil turned off the tv, putting his hand down next to Patton as he tried to think of what he could whip up for dinner.  _You really need to go grocery shopping._

 Patton climbed on, once again without hesitation. “We probably shouldn’t have anything too big since it’s already pretty late.” Patton said.

 “Yeah, you’re right.” Virgil glanced around the kitchen, spotting a few extra pancakes still lying out from this morning. He set Patton down next to the plate, taking one from the top and taking a bite. “Here, this is good, right?”

 Patton tilted his head, grabbing a piece and taking a bite. He smiled. “Yeah! It’s just as good as this morning.” He took another bite.

 Virgil disagreed, but food was food. He took another bite, swallowing. “We should probably head to bed soon, too. Roman’s gonna want to come over again tomorrow morning.”

 Patton nodded finishing up his piece and wiping the crumbs off his clothes and hands. He looked up at Virgil. “I’m ready when you are!”

 Virgil put his hand down, giving Patton a ride over to the bedroom. He set Patton on the nightstand, going into the bathroom to change into his PJs. He came back, lying down in the bed. Virgil looked over at Patton. “Goodnight, Pat.”

 Patton yawned, snuggling into the covers. “Night Virge.”

 Virgil went to turn off the light, but he paused. He looked over at Patton, who looked so far away on the nightstand despite it only being a few feet. “…hey Patton?”

 Patton turned over, staring at Virgil in the darkness. “Yeah?”

 “Do you…” Virgil spoke slowly, trying to find the right words. It felt strange to say aloud, but Patton had offered it the first night. “…maybe…want to sleep over here with me? There’s plenty of room.”

 “Oh! Yeah, but only if you really want.” He remembers Virgil’s excuse the first night and wanted to make he wasn’t just offering for Patton’s sake.

 “Yeah, I do.” Virgil paused. “I don’t want to be alone.”

 “Aww, then of course I will kiddo.” Patton got up and hopped onto the bed, just as he had done many times before. He stopped halfway to Virgil though, not quite knowing where he should actually stop to sleep. “Um…where should I go?”

 “Well, uh…” Virgil bit his lip, glad it was mostly dark. He decided to try something from this morning, gently scooping Patton up in his hands and holding the borrower to his chest.

 Patton wasn’t expecting to suddenly be picked up, but he didn’t so much as flinch as it happened. Though he did let out a little ‘whoa’ as he was scooped up. When he was placed near Virgil’s chest, he got what Virgil was asking and snuggled into the soft cloth. He hummed in contentment. “Yeah, this works.”

 Virgil smiled, cuddling Patton to him like a teddy bear as he laid on his side. He had avoided doing things like this because he didn’t want to be demeaning to Patton, but at the same time… it had been a long few tolling days. Virgil couldn’t get the thought of Patton having to move out of his head, and he knew that he had to spend as much time with his new best friend as possible. And that absolutely included hug time.

 Virgil let out a content sigh, pulling Patton a little closer and wishing they had done this sooner. Patton was just so nice all the time, giving Virgil reassurance on everything from his ability to carry borrowers around to the sketches in his notebook. Virgil knew he had grown too attached, and couldn’t stand the thought of being without his borrower bud.

 Happy in the knowledge that Patton was safe and with him, Virgil began drifting off to sleep.

 …Unfortunately, the minute Virgil lost consciousness his hands released their hold on Patton and the borrower tumbled down onto the mattress below.

 “Whaaa!” Patton was suddenly jerked awake by a sudden trip through the air. As he fell onto the mattress, he laid there frozen for a moment, wondering what had just happened.

 Virgil moaned slightly in his sleep, hands curling around what was now just empty air.

 Patton blinked and sat up. He looked up at Virgil’s sleeping form, realizing the human must have dropped him. He let out a slight laugh, wondering if he should wake Virgil up. He decided against it, instead going to curl up at Virgil’s side. In only a few minutes, he was once again fast asleep.


	30. Sleep is for Suckers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems some of our boys are having trouble sleeping. Almost as if they went through a traumatic experience or are harboring a heavy load of guilt.

Logan looked around his home at all the bags. He had packed and re-packed everything for moving a few times now, and with a look at the watch hanging on the wall it was well into the night. Logan sighed. He knew why he was putting off sleeping. It was…strange, being back in his own home after everything that had occurred. It felt unnatural, and Logan was constantly on edge. Every few minutes Logan found himself glancing back at his door, expecting human fingers to come grasping for him despite the fact his home was far down the hall from the entrance to Roman’s room.

 “This is ridiculous.” Logan huffed at himself. He needed his rest, one way or another. Logan nestled into his sleeping corner, determined to get some sleep. However, fate was not so kind to Logan. He tossed and turned, spending several restless hours in a fruitless attempt to fall unconscious. Every creaking of the boards or scrapping outside the walls set the borrower on edge. It certainly didn’t help that Roman was likely only a few feet away in his own bed, separated only by drywall. Logan couldn’t help but imagine Roman was looking for him with every second that ticked by, following the sound of Logan’s breathing to mark the exact location of his home…

 A particularly loud thump almost made Logan scream, before realizing that it was just the usual sound of human footsteps. Of course, that didn’t put Logan any more at ease. Why was Roman up as well? Logan rubbed at his face, and the thumping stopped.

 “Now I’m hearing things as well,” Logan muttered. Clearly, this proximity to the scene of his imprisonment was having adverse effects on his psyche.  _Maybe a glass of water will help…_ With this thought in mind (and knowing he wasn’t going to fall asleep anytime soon anyways), Logan slung his borrowing bag over his shoulder.

 Now Logan was faced with a slight dilemma. He could venture into the apartment above or below, but doing so might take the rest of the night. The quickest route would be, of course…Roman’s apartment. Logan shuddered at the thought of returning to the human’s side of the wall, but he knew it was logically the best option. Roman went to bed several hours ago. Logan couldn’t let fear rule the rest of his life; he needed to get back into the swing of things and sharpen his borrowing skills.

 Logan set off, heading towards the bathroom as it was the nearest faucet. He climbed through the walls and up to the exit that was level with the counter. Logan glanced nervously around, pleased to see that the door was closed so that Roman would not be able to turn over and see him. Of course, this also meant Logan could not keep an eye on the human, either.

 He decided to just make it a quick run. Taking out his hook, Logan looped the rope around the faucet handle and pulled, causing a strong steady stream to come pouring out. Logan winced at the volume, hurriedly going over to fill his cup.

 This was the second night in a row that Roman had stayed up. Despite his best attempts to try and be better, he still felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. A guilt that kept him up. Oh, he tried to go to sleep, but all that succeeded in doing was making him sore from all the tossing and turning.

 He tried to busy his mind, working on homework or his ideas for stories, songs, or scripts, but his mind always seemed to wander back to the guilt. He sighed and he started to pace around his darkened room, not bothering to turn the light on. However, a noise coming from the bathroom gave him pause. Was that…the water running? Had he left it on and was just now hearing it?

 He walked over to the door, placing his hand on the knob.

 Logan froze, watching in what felt like slow motion as the door handle began to turn. Several years of borrower instincts kicked in, and Logan made a mad dash for the exit, heart pounding heavily as he skidded inside and shut the entrance behind him.

 Roman opened the door all the way, noticing that the water was indeed running. But Roman froze when he noticed the string and hooked wrapped around the handle. He walked over to it slowly, picking it up in one hand as the other turned off the water.

 No doubt about it, this was definitely Logan’s hook. Which meant he had just been here, probably getting water based on context clues. A pang of sadness welled up in Roman and he almost thought about calling out Logan’s name but figured he was probably long gone now.

 Besides, the last thing Logan probably wanted to do was see  _him_. So instead, Roman sighed and exited the bathroom, taking the hook with him.

 Logan didn’t stop running down the hall, his legs pounding along the familiar route until he was once again in the relative safety of his own home. Only then did he finally allow himself to relax, falling down against the back of his door.

 _That was too close. What were you thinking? So stupid-_  Logan’s tirade of irritated thoughts came to a sudden halt as his hand brushed against his hip, and Logan realized the extent of his actions. Logan groaned. Now not only was he once again hookless, but Roman was sure to know he was still here.

 Logan sighed, getting up to try and see if there was anything else here he could use to construct a new hook. After all, he certainly wasn’t going to be getting any sleep now.

***

 Patton woke up, stretching and yawning. He blinked, wondering where he was for a moment before realizing what had happened the night before. He uncurled himself away from Virgil, shivering a little at the sudden lack of warmth. He looked up at Virgil’s asleep form, before taking fistfuls of cloth and starting to climb.

 He managed to make it on top of Virgil’s chest without waking the human and he walked over to Virgil’s cupped hand and patted it gently. “Virgil, wake up.”

 “Mmm.” Virgil moved his hands slightly, feeling around for Patton’s form. “Morning.”

 “Morning kiddo.” He grinned, giggling a bit. Virgil looked so adorable when he just woke up.

 Virgil picked Patton up gently, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his free hand. “Coffee?”

 Patton tilted his head in confusion. “What’s coffee?”

 Virgil paused, remembering who he was talking to. Borrowers probably didn’t get a lot of access to coffee. “It’s a drink that gives a lot of energy,” Virgil explained, standing up and heading to the kitchen. “And I drink it like every day and it’s basically my lifeblood now. It’s kind of an acquired taste though if you want to try it.”

 “Sure! Sounds interesting.” Patton said, wondering what it would taste like.

 “Alright.” Virgil set Patton down on the counter, starting up the coffee maker. He wondered briefly if Patton was going to hate it as he poured it into a mug.  _Oh shoot, what’re you going to use as a tiny mug?_  Virgil glanced around for ideas. “Uh, I don’t think I have…a small enough cup…”

 Patton thought for a moment. “Do you have any tin foil?” Patton asked.

 “Um…” Virgil opened a few of the kitchen drawers, stumbling across a half-used roll of aluminum foil. “Like this?” Virgil asked, ripping off a section and handing it to Patton.

 “Yep! Thanks, kiddo!” Patton took the piece and started to mold it into a cup shape. Smoothing out the edges so it didn’t cut him with practiced ease. When he was done, he was left with a borrower sized cup. He held it up to Virgil to look at. “Ta-da!”

 “Oh, cool.” Virgil leaned in to see Patton’s handiwork. Virgil moved his mug of coffee closer to Patton.

 Patton dipped his cup in the black coffee, filling it up before taking it back out. He looked at it, feeling the heat seep out through the foil. He blew on it for a second, before taking a sip. When the bitter taste hit his tongue he winced. “Um, it’s…not my favorite.” Patton somewhat admitted, holding the cup slightly away from himself.

 Virgil couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t like it that way, either.” Virgil poured some creamer into his mug, then decided to sweeten it further for Patton’s sake. “Here, try it like this.”

 Patton raised an eyebrow at the now brown colored coffee. He poured out his cup back into the mug and then filled it back up. He was more hesitant to try it this time, but he brought up to his lips and took a little sip. His eyes lit up.

 “Wow! It’s actually good now!” Patton exclaimed, taking a nice long drink of it. It was much sweeter now that Virgil had thrown that stuff in. He couldn’t even taste the bitterness from before.

 “Yeah, it’s better with sweeteners.” Virgil agreed. Though he liked to claim he liked coffee ‘ _black, like my soul_ ’, Virgil had more of a sweet tooth at heart.

 Patton finished his cup and looked to Virgil. “Can I have some more please?”

 “Knock yourself out,” Virgil said, taking another sip before setting the mug next to Patton. “Just be careful, you don’t want to overdo it.”

 “Why?” Patton asked while filling up his mug again.

 “Well, coffee gives you energy,” Virgil explained, lifting the mug. “And if you drink too much you get too much energy and get all jittery and stuff.”

 Patton gulped down his second cup and paused for a moment. “I don’t feel any different.”

 Virgil’s eyebrow rose, wondering if this was a bad idea. “Well yeah, it takes a few minutes to take effect.”


	31. EVERYBODY STAY FREAKING CALM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oops we broke everything one chapter before the end. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Patton hummed and was just about to ask for more when he heard a knock at the door. He looked up at Virgil. “Roman?”

 Virgil glanced at the clock. “Probably.” He looked towards the door. “Do you feel up for more teaching or should I tell him to beat it?”

 Patton chuckled. “You can let him in.”

 Virgil went over to the front door, checking through the peephole to confirm it truly was Roman before opening it. “G’morning.”

 “Morning,” Roman said, thankful for his acting skills and makeup to hide the fact he hadn’t slept at all that night. “Are you…ready for me?” Roman asked, noticing the cup of coffee in Virgil’s hands and wondering if he’s had enough to be able to function yet.

 “Yeah, kinda.” Virgil shrugged, taking a sip. “We’re just waking up. C’mon in.” He moved to the side, allowing Roman to enter.

 Roman nodded and walked past Virgil. He started towards the kitchen, figuring if Virgil had coffee then that was where Patton was.

 Patton, as soon as Virgil had left to go answer the door, had started to feel a bit…weird. He was bouncing his leg up and down at a fast pace, like the last thing he wanted to do was sit still. Was this the jittery feeling Virgil was talking about earlier?

 As soon as he saw Roman and Virgil enter, his mind buzzed with excitement. Maybe overly so. He grinned. “Hi Roman!” In his excitement, he started over to get closer to them at a pace slightly more than a walk. He was too focused on the two humans and too jittery from the coffee, to realize he was walking right towards the edge. “You ready for some more-ahh!”

 Patton tripped and fell off the counter with a scream.

 Virgil froze, his anxious thoughts suddenly freezing him in place as he helplessly watched his friend fall as though in slow motion.

 But Roman, eyes wide, jumped into action and practically fell onto the floor in a heap as he held out his hands. Thankfully, he caught Patton just in time and sighed in relief. He stood and looked Patton over gently. “Are you alright Patton?”

 Patton blinked, looking up at Roman. The fall seemed to have sobered him up from the caffeine and he was a lot less jittery now. He now looked at Roman in a new light. “You saved me.” He muttered in awe, before grinning wide. “Thank you, Roman!”

 “Oh! Uh, you are quite welcome.” Roman said, cheeks a light red.

 “Holy crap.” Virgil practically tossed his mug onto the counter in his haste to get over to Roman. Virgil now found himself feeling very jittery from the scare. He wanted to scoop Patton right up, but he didn’t trust his own hands right now.  _You would’ve let him die._  “Patton, are you okay?!”

 “I’m alright. A little shaken, but I’m not hurt.” Patton answered. Roman looked from Virgil to Patton, realizing he was still holding him.

 “Ah, right, I should uh, probably put you down,” Roman said, remembering his teachings. He placed his hand on the counter, but Patton didn’t get off.

 “It’s fine. Actually, I could use a lift into the living room? If that’s okay?” Patton asked, causing Roman’s eyes to go wide.

 “What?” Had he heard him right?

 “I mean if it’s okay with Patton…” Virgil muttered, still a bit thrown off.  _Of course, he trusts Roman more than you._

 “Oh! Then, um, alright.” Roman lifted his hand again and made his way into Virgil’s living room. He looked around. “Where do you want to be?”

 Patton looked around himself. “Coffee table is fine.” Roman nodded and placed his hand down. This time, Patton did get off.

 “So…” Roman started off, looking between Patton and Virgil. “That was quite a way to start the morning.”

 Virgil groaned, putting his head in his hands as he sunk to sit on the floor next to the coffee table. “…uh huh.”

 Patton frowned, eyebrows knit with concern as he watched Virgil sink to the floor. He walked over and placed a hand in his hair as comfort. “Hey, I’m okay. Everything’s fine.” Patton paused for a minute. “And it isn’t your fault.”

 Virgil pulled his head up to look at Patton. How had the borrower known what he was thinking? “…I still should’ve done something.”

 “Virgil, your hands were full with burning hot coffee. If you would have done something you could have gotten hurt.” Patton explained. “Besides, there’s no use in dwelling on what’s already happened. Roman was here and he saved me. But please don’t look down on yourself for not being the one to do so, okay?”

 “I mean, yeah.” Virgil begrudgingly agreed, pulling his knees to his chest. “I’ll try.”

 “You both are adorable.” Roman couldn’t help but say. “But, to change the topic, are we ready to start the lessons?” He asked, looking over to Patton. Patton nodded.

 “Yeah, I think so,” Patton answered. Roman smiled, though it may have come off more as a grimace.

 “Great.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out Logan’s hook. He placed it down on the coffee table. “So, ah, what do I do with this?”

 Patton’s eyes widened. “How did you…?” Patton grabbed it, though he didn’t have to look hard to know that this belonged to Logan. And that Logan had had this just yesterday.

 “What is that?” Virgil asked, guessing it was a borrower thing.

 “This is Logan’s hook. Something I  _know_  he had just the other day.” Patton explained. He looked up at Roman. “So how did you get this?”

 Roman bit his lip. “I heard the water in the bathroom turn on last night and went to check it out. I find the hook tied around the facet.”

 Patton blinked and sighed. “Logan must have gone borrowing for some water.” He concluded.

 Virgil frowned, wondering if this was a good or a bad thing. “Do you think you should just give it back to him?” Virgil asked Patton, before remembering Patton’s lie about interacting with Roman. “Er, or maybe that’s not a good idea. I could do it, maybe.”

 Patton thought for a moment, before getting an idea. A bit of a silly one, but he couldn’t help but hope it would work. “What if  _Roman_  gave it back to him!”

 Roman blinked. “ _What?_ ”

 “How’s that gonna work?” Virgil questioned. It didn’t seem like Logan wanted anything to do with Roman.

 “You just leave that to me.” Patton had no idea, but he was sure he would think of something on the way to Logan.

 Roman swallowed nervously. “Are you…sure that’s a good idea.” He wanted to see Logan more than anything, but not when he knew Logan was still so scared of him.

 Patton paused. “I don’t know.” He said honestly. “But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.”

 “No, if it’s not a good idea it definitely means we shouldn’t try.” Virgil pointed out. “I mean, I don’t think it’s even possible to get the two of them in the same room.” Virgil glanced at Roman. “No offense.”

 Roman sighed sadly. “None taken.”

 Patton bit his lip. “I just…want everyone to be friends. And maybe once Logan sees how much Roman has actually changed he…won’t be as scared?” Patton finished lamely.

 “…Maybe?” Virgil said with a shrug. Truth be told, he didn’t know Logan very well. If anyone could tell what Logan would do, it was Patton. “I mean, you know him best.”

 “Yeah…” Patton sighed, mind filled with determination. “I’m gonna go for it.” He turned to Virgil before pausing and turning to Roman.

 “Roman, can you help me down?” Roman, still not used to having Patton let him hold him, hesitated in holding out his hand for him. Patton climbed on and Roman quickly yet carefully let him off on the floor. Patton walked over towards his exit, turning around before going into the walls.

 “I’ll be back with Logan in a bit.” He paused halfway through the door to look back again. “Don’t move and, uh, try to stay quiet.” And with that, Patton left.

***

 Logan was making his way toward Patton’s home when he ran into Patton himself. “Oh, I was just on my way to come looking for you.”

 “Hey! So was I!” Patton exclaimed. “I wanted you to come with me for a sec, I have…something to show you?” Patton somewhat lied.

 “Did you finish packing?” Logan asked, following Patton down the hall.

 Patton completely forgot he had told Logan he would pack. “Um…Yes?” He said sheepishly.

 Logan frowned, not believing him. “Then what is it?” He asked with a sigh.

 “You’ll see!” Patton said, taking Logan’s arm and leading him down the path. He couldn’t just straight up tell him what he was doing. Logan would never go.

 Logan allowed himself to be pulled along, but as they approached the exit to Virgil’s room he was less than pleased. Logan didn’t think he wanted a surprise involving a human.

 Patton stopped just outside the door, taking a deep breath as he turned to Logan. “Alright, I know what you’re thinking and yes, the surprise is in Virgil’s room. But please just give him a chance. Okay?”

 “Patton,” Logan said in a warning tone. “Whatever surprise is waiting out there, I can guarantee it’s not about to change my mind about humans.”

 “You don’t know that for sure!” Patton argued with him. “ _Please_  just go out there and see?”

 “…Fine.” Logan said, slowly stepping out into the room.

 Patton followed closely behind him.

 Roman perked up when he heard the soft sounds of what he now knew to be the little entrance into the walls. And looked over, eyes widening when he saw Logan. Remembering what Patton said, he forced himself to sit still, but he did speak up. “Hey, Logan.” He greeted nervously.

 Logan looked up, up, up at the human Logan wanted to see least of all. He could feel himself already beginning to quake slightly out of fear, so he tried to focus on his anger. Logan turned quickly on his heel, storming back into the wall.

 “Wait, Logan!” Patton grabbed his arm and pulled him back out. “I know Roman is the last person you want to see right now, but he’s changed!”

 Roman nodded his head vigorously. “I swear, I have. I was truly a monster before, acting how I acted. But I promise I…I’m not like that anymore.”

 “Oh what, one day and you’re suddenly a saint?” Logan spat, before turning and directing his anger on the easiest target: Patton. “ _This_  was your surprise? What kind of sick game are you playing, Patton? Turning your back on me for a  _bean_. What kind of borrower tosses his friend to the side just so he can play hooky with a human? You never listen to me, only your idiotic feelings and desires. You’re a disgrace to borrower kind and-”

 “Hey!” Virgil cut him off in a much louder tone than intended, causing Logan to flinch. He glared down at the borrower. “Don’t talk about Patton like that.”

 Roman’s eyes were wide at Logan’s words.

 Patton was crying, tears falling freely down his cheeks and his chest hiccuped with sobs. “I-I just, I just wanted us all to-to be friends.” He said between choked breaths. He had seen Logan angry before for sure, but never like that.

 With Virgil now glaring down at him, Logan’s face paled and his tongue lost some of its bite. He looked at Patton and felt sorry for upsetting his friend, but he didn’t regret his words. It seemed the only way to actually get through to Patton was to upset him.

 “Patton, that is  _never_  going to happen,” Logan assured him.

 “Well, why not?” Virgil asked, still annoyed that Logan was acting so rude. Honestly, though Logan had a right to be mad at Roman, Patton was just trying to look out for everybody. He was putting himself through the tedious process of teaching Roman and here Logan was treating him like dirt. “At least Roman’s trying to make things work. He’s willing to listen and grow and you at least owe him a chance.”

 “I don’t owe him anything,” Logan argued, but his voice cracked. It wasn’t easy to talk back to an angry human, but Logan had to speak up for himself. Logan was understandably hurt that everyone in his life decided to make his decisions for him.

 Patton wiped some tears away. “Please Logan. I’ve been teaching Roman how to treat us right and he’s so eager to learn and make up for what he did. And, and…” Patton paused for a moment. “Logan, he  _saved_  me. I would have died if Roman hadn’t been there.”

 Roman stayed silent. He didn’t think Patton deserved Logan’s words, but he certainly did.

 “Wait, what?” Logan frowned.

 “Um, well… it was this morning.” Virgil’s anger dissipated into sadness as he shifted uncomfortably at the memory. “Patton drank this thing called coffee, and it kinda made him act a bit, well, unfocused I guess. He…. he wasn’t looking where he was going, and fell off the counter.” Virgil glanced at Roman. “Roman caught him before anything happened though.”

 “S-See Logan! He’s changed! He’s-He’s not going to hurt you or try to keep you anymore. Right Roman?” Patton asked the human. Roman nodded.

 “Right. Logan, I was so so wrong before. With everything that I did. And I’m  _sorry_  for it all. But…” Roman paused, sighing. He looked at Logan sadly. “I understand if you can’t forgive me or don’t want to be around me anymore. But please don’t take it out on Patton  _or_  Virgil. Patton is your best friend and Virgil would never think of even laying a hand on you without consent.”

 Patton looked up at Roman, confused and a bit sad. “But, Roman…”

 Roman shook his head. “I don’t deserve to be forgiven.”

 “…No, you don’t.” Logan agreed, but his words sounded less convincing than intended.

 Roman nodded sadly, before letting out a humorless chuckle. “Yeah, that’s fair.” He looked down, noticing the hook and the whole reason why Patton decided to go get Logan in the first place. He picked it up and stood, carefully walking a few steps and kneeling down several feet away from the two borrowers. “I’m sure Patton meant for this to end in a happy ‘we’re all friends’ kind of way, but really…” He set the hook down. “I just wanted to give you your hook back.”

 Logan looked up at Roman, slowly approaching his hook before returning it to his side. It was strange, Logan was feeling a similar sort of almost…guilt as he felt the first time he left Roman.

 “Patton, pack up your things,” Logan instructed quietly to his friend, heading back towards the wall. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning.”

 Patton looked from Logan and then up at Roman and finally up at Virgil. Tears filled his eyes once again, but he blinked them away and followed Logan back into the wall.


	32. Relationships Take Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With time, things change. Usually for the better.

But the borrowers didn’t leave the next morning. Or the morning after. Several weeks passed as Logan slowly stopped bringing up the idea of moving altogether. Patton and Virgil continued to grow closer as friends. Logan refrained from making an appearance, but through the vents, he watched as a transformation began to overtake Roman. His interactions with Patton indicated a gentler, calmer, more respectful individual. Even on days when Virgil directly antagonized his best friend, never once did the human raise his voice as he once did at Logan. Patton did not come home sporting the same bruises that had faded across Logan’s chest. With time, it was made obvious that Roman had indeed changed.

 Of course, just because Patton and Virgil became besties did not mean that the same happened between Logan and Roman. Logan realized that moving was a lost cause, as he did not wish to upset Patton when he seemed to no longer be in any immediate danger, but Logan had no desire to seek human companionship either. Logan instead kept a watchful eye on his friend from a distance, finding it safest for himself to return to the old borrower ways and gain a small sense of normalcy.

 However, little details helped Roman know that Logan was never far. Several nights Roman heard the faucet turn itself on and off. Little pieces of food left out deliberately for the borrower would be gone the next morning. One evening, when playing Hamilton out loud, Roman saw something out of the corner of his eye. Roman turned it up slightly so Logan could listen in. At the end of the musical Roman went off to check, but no one was there.

 From there the sightings only grew. Logan would never fully acknowledge him, but when the human entered the room Logan no longer felt the need to scamper away or conceal himself. His presence was far from a secret, and true to his word Roman had yet to pose a threat. The human never tried to interfere on the rare occasion he was caught borrowing, instead, acting as though he didn’t see the borrower at all. Lacking the necessity to stay hidden, Logan found himself in the human part of the house more often.

 It was…strange. Logan enjoyed this newfound freedom when borrowing, and he enjoyed being able to pursue things now like music and textbooks. But he always found himself wanting more. Logan had questions that only a human could answer. This yearning for knowledge is what finally drove him back one evening. Logan used his hook to climb up onto the desk where Roman was working, and even as he stood a mere two feet away Roman continued to act as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Remarkable.

 Logan cleared his throat. “Good evening.”

 Roman blinked, looking at his paper for another moment before finally glancing up to look at Logan. Honestly, in the entire two months Logan has been borrowing from him, not once had he tried to talk to him. So Roman was a little more than surprised.

 “Uh…Hey.” He said simply. Not knowing what else to say.

 “I…wanted to apologize.” Logan shifted his grip on his bag.

 Roman blinked. “You wanted to…what?” Did he hear Logan correctly?

 “I believe that I have been slightly unjustified in my anger,” Logan explained. “Granted, you were an absolute nightmare. An imbecile of the highest degree whose foolhardy nature put my very well being at risk on multiple occasions. You were exceedingly rude, demeaning, and made your inferior opinion of me known repeatedly.”

 Roman winced. “You…you were completely justified in your anger towards me. You have no reason to apologize.” Roman had learned a lot during the past two months of Patton and Virgil teaching him.

 “At the time, certainly.” Logan agreed. “But I’ve been observing you these past few months, as well as hearing Patton talk about you. I’ve come to realize that while you had begun to move on and change from your experiences…I had not.”

 “I don’t plan on going anywhere.” Logan looked down at his feet. “At this point, it seems like too much hassle, and you’ve managed to create a pleasant borrowing ground despite my presence being known. Your more respectful attitude and commitment to maintaining such an environment is to be admired.”

 Roman blinked. “Oh! Uh, thanks. I mean…” Roman leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re a person, ya know? I should have been acting like this since the beginning, but I wanted you to…feel safe at least coming here to get food and stuff.” Roman chuckled. “Besides, I’ve learned a lot from Patton. It’s probably thanks to him that I’ve realized my mistakes and changed.”

 “I would imagine.” Logan nodded. Patton really did want everyone to get along, and his determination had encouraged Logan to do this. “…Roman, I would like to ask a favor of you.”

 Roman sat up straight. “Of course, anything.”

 “It’s about gravity and kinetic energy.”

 “Uhh…What?” Roman asked, confused.

 “Energy and motion,” Logan explained. “Physics. It’s what your lecture was about the one time you had me accompany you.”

 Roman raised an eyebrow. “You want me to…teach you physics?” If that was the case he really wished he could take back his ‘anything’ because he was not a great teacher. Or great in the subject in general.

 “Partially.” Logan took in a deep breath, making sure this is actually what he wanted. “I want to accompany you to class again.”

 Roman’s eyes widened. “Really? Are-Are you sure?”

 “…Yes,” Logan said after a moment.

 “…O-Okay, yeah, I can-I can bring you with me.” Roman couldn’t believe this was happening. “I, uh, leave at around 7:30. You could meet me in the kitchen at 7?”

 “I’ll be there.” Logan paused from walking back to his hook. “Goodnight, Roman.”

 Roman smiled. “Goodnight, Logan. See you…tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading through our second completed story! It was a lot of fun to write. Please tell us your favorite parts in the comments, we'd love to know what you thought of our second baby. Stay tuned for our next perspective story, which will begin posting this Sunday!


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